Requiem of Time
by WhiteXIII
Summary: Over a thousand years has passed since that fateful day, and since then, time has been repeating that tragedy. Zelda always dreamed about that same man in green, but when an ancient curse comes to light, can he save her from Fate? Or will time run out before new memories are made and the old are reclaimed? ZELINK. AU.
1. Prologue

**WhiteXIII:** Okay. After much waiting on the behalf of many… Here is the revision of "Only Time Can Tell the Tale!" Old readers please refrain from flames, it is different, but it's still awesome!

**Spazzy:** And I'm still here! I'm a Co-Arth!

**XIII:** Um… You mean co-author?

**O Spastic One:** No! Co-Arth!

**XIII:** Um… okay. ENJOY!

DISCLAIMER: We do not own The Legend of Zelda, its characters, places, etc. in any way, shape or form. They are the sole property of their respected owners. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!

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Prologue

_Zelda struggled vainly against the grip of the strange creatures as they entered a dark, cobblestone room with torches held to the walls for the only light. The monsters were everywhere. Zelda struggled again. She wasn't sure where she was or what was going on, but was positive she didn't like it one bit._

_ The red monsters threw her forward and Zelda fell on her knees to the ground. She looked up, shaking, but determined to not show too much fear._

_ A dark voice emanated somewhere ahead of her, but Zelda couldn't find the owner's face in the pitch black darkness. However, a strand of airy shadows reached out in tendrils and touched her face gingerly._

_ The voice spoke, "Zelda… Why do you refuse me when you could join us… and live? Time's almost up for all of us. Where will you stand? With _him_ or with _us_ on the side of victory?"_

_ Zelda's eyes were wide as she searched the dungeon. What was going on? Where was she? What was this guy even talking about? _

_ Before she could answer, there was a popping sound and smoke filled the room. _

_ Zelda coughed but took the chance to get up and run, even if she couldn't see where she was headed. Miraculously, she found her way to the door she had entered. She pushed it open and bolted._

_ Her eyes flew around in near panic as she tried to remember all the twists and turns she had taken to get down there in the first place._

_ "Zellie, dear, it's time," an elderly voice called out to her._

_ Zelda's head shot up. "Grandma?" she gasped between breathes._

_ "Play the Song of Time… Release the Summon…"_

_ "Grandma!" Zelda gasped, reaching her hand out to the darkness. "Where are you? Help me!"_

_ "Release the Summon…" Her voice then faded out, leaving Zelda alone yet again._

_ Zelda finally came to a stop as she fumbled for her Ocarina in her jean pockets. It wasn't there. However, it still appeared from seemingly thin air. Not taking the time to wonder where it had come from, she pressed the blue instrument to her lips and began to play._

_ The air warped around her and, suddenly, she felt a gentle hand on her forearm. She looked up into those deep sapphire eyes yet again. Recognition crossed her face as she recognized his rough features and messy, dirty blond hair._

_ "You're…" she paused, lacking a name. She had seen him several times before… in her dreams… Wait… Was this a-?_

_ He simply smiled at her and whispered, "Let's go."_

_Zelda quickly obliged and darted through a series of turns and twists. "What's happening?" she asked the blond boy as he dragged her around yet another corner. A name suddenly snapped into her mind, she wasn't sure from where, but it strangely seemed to fit. "Link, answer me!"_

_ Link's head began turning slowly to face her over his broad shoulders. He opened his mouth to speak and Zelda heard a familiar voice say, "Zelda!"_

_ Her brain slowed in confusion. She blinked several times. Wait… That couldn't be right. That wasn't the voice he had just used… That sounded like…_

"ZEEEEELDAAA!"

Zelda's eyes snapped open as she jumped up groggily in an attempt to evade the monsters that had dissipated from her dream. Instead the Hylian female tumbled to the floor, her shoulders resting there while her legs remained in the warmth of her sheets. She turned to see a familiar red-headed male and frowned. "Venex," she hissed. She pouted slightly. She was about to see that boy's, Link's, face…

Venex turned his beaming face towards his sister and saw her now-pale face. "You okay? You look like you've been trying to break dance again." He then placed his hand against his sister's forehead, as if looking for a temperature.

"I've never tried to break dance," Zelda said, confused as she sat up from her uncomfortable position.

"I know," chuckled Venex.

"But it couldn't hurt you to learn," another masculine voice added.

Zelda turned to glower at the figure standing in the doorway.

The figure grinned, his blond hair falling scraggily to the sides of his face, and said, "Morning, sis. Hey, you think we should dress the same today? Maybe nobody'll tell us apart."

"We're _fraternal_ twins, Sheik. Not identical copies."

He shrugged. "You never know…"

She shook her head, looking up at ceiling and wondering what she had done to get brothers like Venex and Sheik. Her hand came up and lifted Venex's hand from its spot on her head. "Never mind. Just get outta here! I need to get ready."

"Ok! I was just coming up here to remind you that we only have four weeks left, then I'll officially be halfway through my Senior year of high school!" Venex reminded his little sister with a little cheer as he exited her room.

"And us through our Junior year!" added Sheik, closing the door and racing the older brother down the stairs.

She shook her head at her brothers' antics. As soon as the door was shut, she reached into her dresser, threw on a t-shirt and jeans and then put her hair into a ponytail. Zelda then proceeded to the adjoining bathroom, she had her own since she was the only girl in the house, and splashed some water on her face in an attempt to soothe her nerves.

After a moment's pause, she slowly looked up at her reflection, her nightmare replaying through her mind. And the blond boy at the end… the way he had appeared from thin air and reached for her… "It all seemed so real…" she muttered. She bit her tongue as her mind mulled over other dreams she had had recently, but she was certain: he was the same boy from every single one.

Instantly, she shook her head. Great. Now she was fantasizing about wars and the same blond hero every night. This couldn't be too healthy.

She dried her face and glanced up for a final look. Often she had thought that, perhaps, a long time ago, she had met that boy somewhere, but Zelda was pretty sure she hadn't… There was something different about him. Something she just couldn't place her finger on.

And what kind of a name was Link anyway?

Disregarding the thoughts with the shake of her head, Zelda turned and re-entered her room. She hefted her navy backpack, prepared to lug it down the stairs and into the kitchen, when she hesitated.

She set it down on her bed and opened the first pocket.

Her Ocarina lay, shimmering in the dim morning light of an ending winter. Zelda paused, but gingerly picked the blue instrument from its case, pressed it to her lips and played. It was a melancholy tune, a song that had been passed down through generations. "The Song of Time" was the title it had been given; apparently it had been passed through multiple generations just to reach her. It had been taught to her by her grandmother, who had died just three years back.

After she had finished it, she placed it back, satisfied that she had fulfilled dream-grandma's request. And, strangely enough, Zelda had a feeling that, somehow, everything was going to be fine.

…

Pointed Hylian ears suddenly perked, dirty blond hair tousled slightly in an unseen wind and luminous blue orbs widened suddenly.

"Link?" a voice spoke quizzically.

A lopsided grin appeared over the boy's face as he turned to the voice and simply explained, "I've received the Summon."

The owner of the voice grinned. "Where to now, boy?"

"Hyrule, Ordona Province."

"Then what are we doing on the opposite side of the world?" the voice demanded.

Without waiting for further instruction, the boy's left hand rose to the side of his face. His thumb and middle finger flew past each other in a snap. Suddenly, the wind picked up and the inhabitants, those who had spoken and those who had been silent, all vanished through space, leaving the place they had inhabited forgetting they had even existed.

The wait was finally over.

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**O Spastic One:** I hope you guys are still reading, 'cuz this took us forever. *screams*

**WhiteXIII:** It's okay, Spazzy, you were only viciously attacked by the laundry… Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Drop a review please! Please and thankies!

OH! And special thanks to MangaMaid4545 (my lovely editor) for helping with this fic!

REVIEW!


	2. 1: Shadow Stalkers

**WhiteXIII:** Yay! I'm glad that you guys liked the Prologue!

**Spazzy: **Okay, for once, I'm the calm one, and I can actually speech. With the keyboard…Carry on, XIII.

**XIII: **Okay... Um… Not a lot to say at this point in time, but—OH! **TYPO ALERT! READ:** In the Prologue some of you read that it was two weeks to the end of the semester, but I had my first blunder. It's FOUR! My bad!** IMPORTANT STUFF END HERE.**

OH, I LIED! **Rated T for Ganondorf the jerk… action… and some blood…** Does this look familiar "Hyrule Academy" readers? XP

Also, THANKS TO: radar1942, dragoness of storm, Evasme, GASP, dragonlady111111, THE REVIEW FOR THIS STORY, Anonymous, AiKisu, Reyser, Lost In Dreams19, and dorkyreader859 FOR EVERYTHING! If you're reading this and you're like, "I didn't press any special buttons… or leave a review… why am I on there?" One, you don't like to be thanked? And, two, I have two fics going on simultaneously so I have no idea which I'm being favorite for. SO YOU'RE ON BOTH, PEOPLE WHO DON'T REVIEW!

**Spazzy: **FACE ITCH! BAWAAAA!

**XIII:** O.O

**Spazzy:** Okay… Calm…

**XIII: **O.O Yeah right. Anyways!

ENJOY!

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Chapter 1

Shadow Stalkers

Gasping and shivering, Zelda shot up from her laying position, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape as a scream struggled to release itself. As her eyes adjusted to the light, Zelda forced herself to calm before taking in a few deep breathes. Her hand came up to her forehead as she pressed her cooler skin against her heated forehead, which was sprinkled with perspiration.

"It was just another dream," she reminded herself gently. Images of the red creatures had returned, along with the dark voice, the source of which she never found. And then _he_ was there again. Link…

Her door reverberated, causing Zelda to jump. Without waiting for further reaction or instruction, the door flew open to reveal a very excited Venex. "Zelda!" He exclaimed, running into the room. "Good morning, sunshine! It's time to arise your shine and get out the door! You're gonna make us all late!"

Zelda's eyes flew to the alarm clock, which read 7:30 in bold red letters. Her eyes widened in panic as she jumped from her bed and shoved her brother out before throwing whatever clothes she could find and bounding down the steps into the kitchen. Hopefully Venex and Sheik hadn't eaten everything…

"Oh, good morning, honey," a blurry-eyed, blonde woman said with a smile. "You're certainly energetic this morning."

"I'm late," Zelda huffed as her gaze swept the room, searching for anything edible, which, with her mom, was not highly likely. "Is there anything left over from breakfast?"

Her mom blinked slowly a few times before answering. "I haven't even started it yet, dear. It's only 6:35… I just got up…"

The panic that Zelda had felt before suddenly subsided as she realized what her brothers had done. She turned around to glare at the duo, who were grinning broadly behind her. Venex waved as he wiggled in his pajamas. "Good morning, sis."

Sheik's red eyes widened as he muttered, "Uh-oh. I told you messing with her alarm clock wasn't a good idea…"

Venex nodded slowly. "Yeah… Run!"

The two boys quickly turned and darted upstairs to the room they shared to get ready for school, bar the door and wait until their sister finally cooled down.

Zelda growled and turned to face her mother, still shaking her head at her brothers, when the smell of burnt unidentified object greeted her nose. "Good morning, Mom," Zelda said with a smile.

The blonde-haired Hylian woman turned and gave her daughter a genuine smile, her eyes drooping slightly. "Good morning, sweetie."

"Um… What are you making?"

Zelda's mother paused before turning back to her and saying, "That's irrelevant. How did you sleep?"

"Mom, don't change the subject… What is that?"

She shrugged. "How did you sleep?"

Zelda's eyes widened. "Irrelevant," she muttered before grabbing an apple nearby. "Where's dad?"

"At work. The police department called him in early this morning," Zelda's mom said, stirring whatever she had in the frying pan.

"Oh…" So there was no luck of him bailing her out of Momma Dearest's Special… Hm… Could this morning get any more horrifying?

"Are you planning on doing any extracurricular activities this year, Zellie?" her mother asked.

Yes, this day could get worse. "Uh… I heard they were starting an indoor swim team. I thought that could be really fun to try out for… Nabooru wants me to be her buddy anyways. The tryouts are on Thursday."

Her mom nodded approvingly. "Yes, that could be fun… Though, are you sure that you feel comfortable enough in the water for that?"

"I feel more comfortable with water than with breakfast," Zelda muttered as her stomach did a summersault at what she noted her mother was putting in. _Does she really need that much?_

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Zelda said quickly. Maybe she should just grab her lunch and get out before she had to eat any poison… And, after the stove caught fire, Zelda did just that. _What in that was that flammable?_

**...**

Zelda sighed, shutting her band locker, which served as her school locker on a regular basis. Why had that morning been so hectic? She rubbed her temples as she felt a migraine coming on and sighed.

She was completely alone as Nayru had left the band room just a few moments ago, leaving the room completely vacant except for Zelda and her thoughts.

Suddenly, the room went cold; a shiver ran down Zelda's spine, panic threw itself into Zelda's mind, making her blind for a moment, and her Triforce burned, sensing danger; darkness. Zelda wasn't alone after all. _It_ was there again. Zelda tried to slow her breath as the panic in her mind worsened. Whatever it was wanted to do her harm and she was wide open.

Something grabbed Zelda's arm, Zelda jumped with a slight scream, turning to see what was behind her. When she saw Malon jumping back in surprise, relief and embarrassment washed over her simultaneously.

"Geez, Zel! I just said hello," Malon said, covering her pointed, Hylian ears.

"Malon," Zelda said with a sigh of relief. The dark presence that had been there so strongly just a moment before sank back into hiding, the room seemed to heat up again, however, Zelda still felt as if it was still there, as if she was being watched. She looked around nervously, looking for the source, but saw nothing.

"Are you all right?" Malon asked, noticing Zelda's pale complexion. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Huh?" Zelda asked, looking back to her friend. "Oh, it's nothing…"

Malon looked over her friend uncertainly.

"Really, Malon," Zelda insisted. "I was off in la-la land and you startled me…That's all. You don't need to worry. I'm fine, really."

"Okay…" Malon said slowly still not convinced, but she let Zelda have her peace. That was one of the nice things about Malon, if something was bothering you she'd ask, but if you didn't want to talk about something she wouldn't push it; she knew if it was something she needed to know then her friends would tell her eventually.

"Hey, gals!" Ruto greeted chirpily.

"Good morning, Ruto," Malon said, putting her flute away and turning to face her friend. "You're unusually energetic this morning."

Ruto smiled and ran to meet up with her friends. "You won't believe it!" she exclaimed happily.

"Did Zoranor say hi to you again?" Malon asked smiling slightly. Zoranor was a Zora and Ruto's first crush. Whenever he so much as looked at Ruto she'd turn bright red and start giggling like crazy, but she always insisted that she didn't have a crush on him anymore. However, all of her friends knew otherwise.

"Talk to me? No," Ruto said giggling. "He _smiled_ at me this morning!" Her mind suddenly went serious as she took an interest in her fingers all of a sudden. Coolly she said, "But I am sooo not into him or anything… He just has the greatest eyes! EEEHH! Have you seen them? I mean…"

As Ruto went on about how handsome Zoranor looked when his eyes sparkled as he smiled the three girls gradually migrated out into the school hallways. Zelda tried to pay attention to Ruto's millionth he-smiled/looked/spoke-to-me Zoranor moment that month, but her mind wandered back to the presence she had sensed in the band room.

It wasn't that Zelda didn't trust Malon, Ruto or any of her other friends, but… She had never told them, or anyone for that matter, about the hovering darkness she always felt around her. When it had first started, Zelda had simply thought that she was becoming paranoid and that she should just ignore it, but whenever she tried, her Triforce started freaking out.

That had been happening for seven years now.

The nightmare she had had that morning wasn't the typical scenario either. It seemed that her dreams always revolved around _him_. She wasn't absolutely certain who he was, but he was always there in Zelda's dreams, always fighting in a battle of sorts and always by her side, protecting her.

She shook her head. She really was sounding crazy! _A cute, blond guy protecting me from sinister demons? Yeah right!_ Zelda turned pink at her own thoughts. _I did not just think that._ She groaned, "I've talked to Ruto too much lately…"

"Have fun in English, Zel! We'll see you later," Malon said, breaking through Zelda's thoughts.

Zelda gave another fake smile and waved her friends a quick goodbye. She was alone again… _Or not…_ she thought as a shiver ran up her spine. Her nerves pricked as the sensation of contact reached her brain.

An oily voice greeted her, "Hey, baby. How was your weekend? I missed you."

_Not this again… _Zelda flinched as she reached up to remove the arm. "Thanks, Ganondorf that's really…" She struggled for words for a moment before just nodding. "What are you doing?"

"I just thought I'd walk my favorite girl to class. We do have it together, remember? Besides, you're looking a little pale and I thought you'd want a big, strong man to protect you."

Images of the blond boy flashed through her mind. Ganondorf wasn't even close to being a man or comforting for that matter. Ever since they had met at Hyrule Middle, he hadn't stopped flirting with her and it honestly freaked her out. She forced a smile. "That's very sweet of you… But I'm good. See you later!" She turn and booked it through the hallways, dodging around people and navigating her way to English where witnesses would be in case he tried anything.

**PERIOD: 2. CLASS: AP Anatomy. ROOM: 112. TEACHER: Shad Kyler.**

Fate had some sense of humor because their teacher had them switching groups in order to talk about that day's subject. This was a pretty typical occurrence, especially in Miss Anju's AP English class, but… still. Zelda had spent all period trying to avoid the Gerudo male. And, luckily enough, she had been able to pull it off.

She was currently slumped in her Anatomy classroom, relishing in the freedom from Ganondorf's "covert" and "lovely" glances. She honestly couldn't see what the other girls saw in him.

Ruto glided gracefully through the door before coming to a stop beside her friend. "This class is so boring,. Why did I even take it?" she complained. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she smiled as a certain Zoran male walked through the doors. "I love this class…" she whispered faintly.

Zelda laughed quietly at her friend as the bell rang, thus beginning class.

Mr. Kyler emerged from a door in the back of the room, grinning. "Sorry about that class, I was just working on something in the back room. Now, let's get started on…Oh, hello, may I help you?"

A sea of heads swiveled to see a pale-skinned girl standing in the door way: a Twili. She appeared apathetic as she sauntered in, her long orange hair swinging slightly behind her. "I'm Midna Dawnshade. The new kid," she said simply before holding out a sheet of paper. "I'm supposed to be in your class. Kyler, right?"

The teacher nodded with a welcoming smile. "Why don't you go take a seat over by… Miss Medli, then?"

Midna nodded as she made eye contact with the shy Rito before heading over.

Ruto shivered and looked away from Midna's red irises. "Geez, she is sooo creepy," she muttered, rubbing her arms as if she had just sustained a chill.

Zelda's eyes followed the Twili with interest. Their race was very rare, especially in this area. As far as her understanding went, the Twili was a race that preferred to inhabit the more isolated, darker cities since it was closer to their original climate, even after gaining a tolerance to light. Ordona was pretty well lit, though still slightly isolated. However, Ordon, the bigger city wasn't too far away…

"Alright, class. Please turn in your books to page one hundred and fifty-seven, and we'll carry on what we started last class. Does anyone remember what that was?"

The class went by rather slowly, with not much action, as was usually the case with the class. However, a few minutes before the class ended, Mr. Kyler made an announcement. "Class, in a few weeks, we're going to be dissecting frogs. I want you to choose your buddies this class so we won't have any contention concerning the partners. Go ahead."

Naturally, everyone turned to the friend they had in that class. Zelda turned to Ruto, but the Zora wasn't there. Zelda looked around and saw her friend with Zoranor, who was standing at the back of the classroom, as far away from Midna as he could get. Figures. She looked at the place where she had last seen the Twili, but only found an empty seat.

Zelda blinked a few times in confusion before a voice broke through her thoughts. "Hey, your name's Zelda, right?"

"Uh… Yes!" Zelda said with a smile as she found the Twili speaking to her. "And you're Midna Dawnshade, the new transfer student."

Midna shrugged off the formalities. "Yeah. Hey, you want to be partners for this stupid lab thingy?"

Zelda gave the Twili a genuine smile. "Sure. That'd be cool."

The orange-haired female quirked a brow and looked Zelda over slowly. "You're definitely not what I was expecting…"

Zelda tilted her head in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"

Midna shook her head as she turned her gaze away to look at something more interesting. The wall, for example. "Nothing."

"Okay…" Zelda said slowly. Midna Dawnshade was definitely different, but, then again, Zelda had never met a Twili before. Maybe… "Hey, if you don't have any plans for lunch, would you want to join me and my friends?"

At this, Midna glanced back at the Hylian female, a slight amount of genuine interest shining in her eyes, before quickly being replaced by indifference as she shrugged and muttered, "I got nothing else better to do…"

"Great," Zelda said with a bright smile. She remembered quite clearly what it was like to be the new girl in school. Since her father had gotten a promotion to Deputy Commissioner, her family had to move about ten years back. Being the new girl really wasn't any fun.

"Cool," Midna muttered as she turned away. "See you at lunch, then."

"Oh! We eat in the Band room hallway!" Zelda interjected as the Twili neared the door as the bell rang, ending class. Midna gave a brief wave without turning around.

**PERIOD: Lunch. PLACE: In the Band Hallway.**

"And then he asked me to the dance!" Ruto let off a high pitched squeal as she finished explaining what had happened during the last few minutes of class. She sighed contently. "Zoranor is so dreamy. I can't wait for Saturday."

"Isn't the dance in three weeks or something?" Zelda asked, confused as they rounded the corner where the steps were.

"Yeah, but I still can't wait," Ruto said, gushing. Her face suddenly turned serious. "But I'm into him or anything."

"Third grade, right?" Zelda asked with a slight grin.

Ruto nodded. "Third grade," she agreed.

Zelda's eyes widened as realization struck. "Oh! Ruto, I forgot that I wanted to talk to Mr. Kyler about an assignment!" Zelda began retracing her way back up the steps.

Ruto raised a thin, confused brow. "Why does that matter? Aren't your grades, like, perfect or something?"

"They're not perfect," Zelda said, turning pink with embarrassment and frustration. "Besides, it's my parents who wanted me to talk to him. Anyways, I'll just meet up with you and everyone else for lunch okay." Zelda turned and began running back the way she had come.

"Hey, do you want me to come with you?" Ruto asked, starting to follow her friend up the stairs again.

Zelda waved over her shoulder. "No, that's okay. Go tell everyone about your date with Zoranor. I'll be fine on my own!" Without waiting to hear another objection, Zelda weaved her way around the busy hallway as she finally managed to find the last room she had been in that day.

The familiar sensation from that morning danced down her spine. Zelda shook slightly as she attempt to dissuade the cold feeling before picking up her pace to the point of a full run. She began to slow as she reached her destination.

She panted slightly as her head peeked around the side of the door frame, her hair falling out in strands as she did so. The room was pitch black. Zelda furrowed her brow in confusion. Mr. Kyler hadn't left that quickly had he? Maybe he was just working on a project… "Mr. Kyler?" Zelda called into the darkness. She waited for a few moments: nothing.

Zelda frowned before venturing a few steps into the classroom. _He wouldn't have left the door open if he wasn't here… Maybe he's in the back room?_ Zelda mused as she slowly began taking steps further in, weaving around desks here and there as she went. About halfway through the room she paused, the dark sensation growing stronger around her. _Maybe I could just come back tomorrow…_ Zelda thought before agreeing with herself. However, her limbs wouldn't respond. She stood in the center of the room, her arms held strictly to her sides and her heart pounding its way into her mouth as her brain struggled to refocus.

Her Hylian ears perked as she caught a sound coming up from behind her: breathing. The Hylian female felt the tempo of her heart reach its peak, but her body still refused to move. _Just relax, Zelda. You're just paranoid and overreacting. Maybe it's just Mr. Kyler trying to find the lights…_"Mr. Kyl-"

Suddenly, Zelda felt something grab onto her arm, her voice stuck in her throat and she felt herself falling and being dragged backwards. Her legs bumped against chairs and desks as whatever had grabbed her took off across the room. Where to, Zelda didn't know. Images of the red creatures popped into Zelda's head and her mind finally began to function as her body began flailing against her assailant.

She heard a hissing sound as she made contact with something. However, Zelda's feelings of triumph were short lived as she was suddenly thrust away, light pricking at her eyes like needles.

"What the heck was that for?" a somewhat familiar voice snapped.

Zelda opened her eyes to see Midna looming over her from where Zelda now sat in the hallway right in front of Mr. Kyler's classroom. "Midna?"

The Twili snorted. "Yeah, good job, kid. What the heck where you doing in there with the lights turned off?"

Zelda bit her lip. Lights… Right. That would have been a good idea… "I needed to talk to Mr. Kyler. I thought he was doing some experiment in the back room and didn't want the light to mess anything up. I-"

Midna raised a black eyebrow in slight confusion and disbelief. "Uh-huh… Well why don't you come back later. Especially if the dark freaks you out that much." The Twili looked away, disinterested.

Zelda felt her face heat with embarrassment. It wasn't the dark… It was… She paused as she finally realized the dark feeling was gone. She glanced up at Midna, who was looking boredly down the near empty hallways. Was it scared of her for some reason? _Maybe because she controls darkness itself…? _Zelda wondered for a moment.

The Twili looked down at Zelda once more, impatience shining on her face. "Anyways, are we going to go eat or something?"

"Uh, yeah!" Zelda said, snapping from her reverie and jumping to her feet. "Let's go!"

Midna muttered something incoherently before following the blonde Hylian down the hallways.

A thought suddenly struck and, after a few terse moments of silence, Zelda asked, "Hey, Midna?"

"What?"

"What were you doing in Mr. Kyler's classroom?"

Midna's eyebrow twitched. "Why does it matter?" she snapped slightly, her eyes narrowing.

Zelda shrugged. "I was just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

After a second of mulling it over, Midna apparently decided that this was worth responding to. "I forgot my pencil in there. I only have one."

"Oh," Zelda said, feeling slightly sheepish. Of course that'd be the only reason. "Okay."

Midna rolled her eyes at Zelda's response, but said nothing more. She glanced over her shoulder as they left the science hallway and glared at a dark shape, which quickly darted around the corner and out of sight.

**…**

"So far, I'm not impressed." Midna said as soon as she spotted Zelda's friends, who were sitting against the wall that stood right outside the band room's door.

"Zelda!" Ruto waved madly from her seat on the floor.

Zelda waved back at her friends as she emerged from the band room with her lunch, choosing to ignore the scathing comment from her acquaintance. Midna followed a few steps behind her. The Zora female stopped waving as soon as she spotted the pale-skinned Twili.

"What are you doing?" Ruto hissed in Zelda's ears as she slid down by her. "That's the creepy chick from Anatomy!"

"That's my lab partner who I invited to sit with us for lunch," Zelda corrected as Midna finally approached the group sitting against the wall.

Venex looked up to the new girl and gave a broad grin. "Hey! How's it going?"

Midna said nothing as she walked past the red-headed Hylian and proceeded to stand by Zelda.

"Cool, cool," Venex said, shrugging as he turned back to his sandwich.

Sheik glanced up briefly, his eyes widened slightly, betraying his surprise, before he simply nodded to the girl and turned back to talk to his brother, who had effectively plastered his sandwich to his face.

"Yep… Mom used too much mayonnaise again," Sheik said with a laugh.

Malon, Ilia, Ruto and Saria joined in laughter as Venex tried to pry his mother's cooking from his face. Sheik tilted his head in curiosity. "I think that's actually glue… Mom needs to get more sleep…"

Zelda shook her head slowly in embarrassment as she made a mental note to tell her overworked mother to take a breather for a few hours once she got home. She then looked up and offered a small smile to the figure which had remained standing. "Care to sit down?"

Midna gave a vague nod as she leaned against the wall and allowed herself to slip down to the floor. She set her paper lunch bag on the ground by her thigh before turning to Zelda, her typical disinterested gaze intact. "Are you sure your boyfriend won't mind if I steal the only other spot next to you?"

Zelda's eyes widened suddenly. "Excuse me?"

Midna looked at Zelda and repeated her statement as if she couldn't believe that Zelda hadn't understood her. "Your boyfriend. You do have one, don't you?"

"What? No. No!" Zelda raised her hand in slight defense.

As if the conversation had some sort of magical, magnetic power, Ruto, Malon and Ilia were suddenly overly interested.

Ruto laughed. "Zellie with a boyfriend? Hon, that's only a fantasy in the back of Ganondorf Dragmire's dreams!"

Midna gave a slightly contempt-filled look, but said nothing at being called 'hon.'

Not noticing the Twili's annoyance, Malon added with a feverish nod, "Zelda's never even dated before."

"Or ever been interested in a guy!" Venex interjected with a laugh.

Midna raised an eyebrow. "Never? Didn't you ever have a crush on some random kid when you were younger? I thought that was pretty normal…"

"Well Zelda really isn't normal," Sheik said. He laughed as he added, "I'd know—we're twins!"

Midna gave the blond-haired Sheikah a strange, quizzical look.

As if understanding, Zelda explained, "My father is half Sheikah, it shows up in Sheik, but nobody else really."

"Okay…" Midna said slowly, still giving Sheik weird looks. She turned her attention back to the violet-eyed female. "So you don't have a boyfriend?"

"No," Zelda muttered, feeling herself turn pink with embarrassment. How did this always come up? Midna didn't even seem the type to be interested in boys, let alone talking about them.

Ilia, Malon and Ruto—the more girly of the group—were about to begin their relentless "Zelda needs a boyfriend" rant when Saria stepped in. "I'm sure Zelda has a guy looking for her somewhere."

"Yeah, but where?" Midna asked, frowning before she shrugged and opened her lunch.

Zelda shook her head. She found, in these situations, it was best to just ignore her friends and pretend like nothing had happened. She opened her own lunch and pulled out her own sandwich. Remembering what had happened with Venex, she lifted up the lettuce and sniffed the white substance. She quickly held the contraption away from her as she dumped it back into her paper bag. Yep, mom definitely needed more sleep. Who had put the glue on the kitchen counter anyways?

She sighed as she grabbed a carrot from her bag instead and began munching on it. As much as Zelda hated to admit it, the only guy she had found herself remotely attracted to only existed in a dream. Zelda would rather face the strange red monsters from her dreams rather than admit that to her friends, though. She would never hear the end of it—especially from Sheik and Venex.

Zelda shook her head and allowed herself to slip into regular conversation with her friends. Why was this bothering her so much?

The Twili sitting next to her said near to nothing as lunch progressed. In fact, she found the glass and metal doors more interesting as she stared out into the clear skies beyond. Nobody paid her much notice as she chewed on some Twili food that was a sickly shade of puce. She frowned as she popped the last bite into her mouth. Indeed, the question was where.

**…**

Impaz Himitsu shuffled across the faded blue carpets, her seventy year old bones creaking slightly in annoyance, but that wasn't enough to slow this old Sheikah down. Especially not at the cost of her home: Ordona Public Library.

She swayed slightly as she got on tiptoe to replace a particularly heavy volume of 1980's almanac. The elderly woman smiled slightly as she stepped back to admire the straight bookshelves and the clean floors, though the colors were faded and the chairs and beanbags showing their years of love and use, the Library was still a sanctuary to this old woman.

There was a room in the back in which she lived. The region officials didn't seem to mind—either from sympathy or apathy she couldn't be certain. Several years previous, Impaz had lost her house to a horde of bulbins as they tore down what was left of her fragile village. She had moved to the only place possible: the Library she worked at. The back room had the basics: a bed, a small fridge with food and even a little stove. A one-room house in a public building.

Her deep red eyes ached as she turned her attention back to the reception counter and then to the entrance before she sighed and headed toward the door to flip the sign to its "OPEN" position. She paused for a moment, as if wishing someone would come and talk to her. But she knew that the youngsters, who rarely came anyway, were in school at this point and the adults were more likely to be working. Though, Impaz did have to admit, somebody always came by and, maybe something would change.

She had thought several times of taking a vacation, but, with her family gone, Impaz had no one to visit and no one to take care of the Library for that matter.

Impaz had been running the public library by herself for as long as she could remember. There wasn't a lot of business, every now and again it would get a little hectic, but, mostly, it was just her and the books—her only company—gathering dust.

The little woman, about 4' 7" sighed before turning around and heading back towards the reception desk.

**…**

Trees appeared bent and twisted as a vortex of distortion faded into nonexistence. "Here?" a voice spoke incredulously. The air around them settled and the trees returned to normal as the magic surrounding the group of people dissipated.

"Yes, I think this would make an excellent base. He would never come here," a reasonable voice responded simply.

"You know it's true," another voice agreed with an approving nod.

The owner of the first face frowned. "Of course I know that! But I wouldn't exactly call this… sturdy, even…"

"I know it's not your first choice," the reasonable voice huffed. "But knowledge is the best defense. Besides, I'm sure we can work something out here."

"Yeah… But a _library_? Come on, Nayru! You're Wisdom and you can't think of any place with a little more… oompf!"

The third voice laughed. "You know hiding in the open is the best way to keep a secret, Din. If we were in a fortress, then we would stand out like a sore thumb."

Din grumbled. "Thanks a lot, Farore. Fine. We'll move into the smelly, moldy building." She glanced over her shoulder before smirking. "You doing okay, kiddo? You look a little winded."

Blue eyes glared slightly as the figure straightened itself. "I'm fine."

"Your magical core seriously gets drained just transporting people?" Din asked incredulously, a laugh emerging on her lips. "Geez, Farore, what kind of pipsqueak did you choose?"

The green-haired female glowered. "You know that we cannot transport ourselves, it goes against the code that we took eons ago. Link is the last one with a magical core that is accessible and light… though it is constantly being drained," she said this last bit with a tint of resentment as she eyed another figure, who had remained silent and hovering on her broom just a few feet away from the blond hero.

However, they soon spoke up, their creaky voice ringing with impatience. "If we are all decided, then let us set up our base so we can get this operation done and over with."

"Indeed," Nayru agreed as she took the lead up the stairs. The gang soon followed after her and, in a few minutes, Impaz was leaving the steps of the Library, happily grinning that a replacement from the Province had arrived to give her a long overdue vacation.

**PERIOD 3. CLASS: Band. ROOM: 036. TEACHER: Fado Venti.**

Zelda's ears cringed slightly as the band played their concert F way out of tune.

Mr. Venti, a Kokiri man who only appeared to be around the age of six, was actually well into his thirties and had a family. He grimaced slightly as he cut the band off with his baton. "Well," he said, shifting slightly on his stool, the only tool available to make his three foot status visible to the whole band. "Let's try that again."

The class laughed and quickly obliged as the small man waved his baton once more. After getting the note properly in tune, he turned the class to finish warming up. Zelda turned to her Ocarina buddy, Saria, and the two played a quick note to double check tone quality.

The green-haired Kokiri smiled when they matched perfectly before frowning at something behind her. "Um… I think Ganondorf is trying to…"

"Scar me for life?" Zelda finished. "I'm not looking."

"Um… attract your attention as usual, but…" After a moment, Saria nodded and muttered, "Wise choice."

"Alright, class! Listen up!" the Kokiri male said as he finally managed to get back onto his stool. "I've got some good news and bad news!"

"GOOD NEWS!" Venex shrieked from his section.

Fado grinned as he waved Venex to be quiet. "Alright, alright. Good news: I got the job I've been applying for. However, I've been required to move to Holodrum with my family in order to get the position."

"That's not good news!" Venex wailed.

"Yes, yes. I'm horribly sorry, but I've heard there's a new teacher that will make a fantastic replacement and…"

"And you've wanted this job since you were five?" a student asked bitterly. The short man shot the boy a warning glance. The human student chuckled nervously. "Shutting up now."

"So you guys will be fine," Fado finally finished. "Now, let's get to work!"

Zelda felt her heart droop slightly. Mr. Venti was one of her favorite teachers… Why was everything going so south today?

**PERIOD: 4. CLASS: Co-Ed Gym. ROOM: Gym. TEACHER: Impa Kageri.**

Zelda was still frowning when she arrived in the gym room, dressed down and ready to go… Sorta. It was nearly impossible for Zelda to be prepared for physical education. Unless they were doing archery: her personal favorite. However, no matter how good and kind a teacher Mrs. Kageri was, they couldn't do archery all the time.

She smiled and nodded at the silver-haired, Sheikah woman as she took her spot in the line against the wall. The Sheikah smiled back, her red eyes gleaming happily.

"Hey, Zel!" the voice of Zelda's P.E buddy greeted her casually. "What's with the sad look in your eye today?"

"Uh, it's not much…"

Her friend, Nabooru Akaji, crossed her well-tanned arms across her chest and raised a red eyebrow. "Uh-huh," she said doubtfully.

Zelda sighed. "My Band teacher's just leaving. It's not that big of a deal."

Nabooru nodded in sudden understanding. "That's gotta be rough. I know how close you can get to teachers and all that jazz. Especially the music ones. What is it with you and band geeks living in the band room?"

"We don't live there," Zelda said with a small laugh. "Most musical lives just happen to hover around that particular area."

"Yep. Like I said. You guys practically live there," Nabooru said with a fiendish grin.

Zelda shook her head, laughing. Nabooru could be a little rough around the edges, even for a Gerudo at the top of the school's food chain. But she really had a kind heart. It was just hidden a little. Like Midna's seemed to be. Zelda blinked a few times as she tried to register what she was seeing. _Irony_.

"What?" the recently-thought-of Midna asked with a frown.

"Nothing," Zelda said, embarrassed that Midna realized she was staring at her.

Nabooru, however, frowned. "Who's this?" she asked quietly, lifting her chin ever so slightly in order to appear as intimidating as possible.

"Midna Dawnshade," the Twili said, returning the glare of the Gerudo. "What's it to you?"

"None of your business. Do you know her, Zel?" Nabooru asked, turning to face Zelda.

Zelda nodded slowly, confused as to what was going on. "Yeah. Midna's my lab partner in Anatomy and she had Lunch with us today…" When Nabooru's glare deepened Zelda added, "You know you're always welcome to come sit with us if you want to…"

"Yeah," Nabooru muttered, turning away.

Midna followed suit as she shook her head in disgust as she leaned against the wall in her spot, behind Zelda, who was now sandwiched between the two angry females. _What the heck is going on?_ Zelda wondered incredulously as she shifted nervously. _Why do they already hate each other when they just met?_

**…**

"So how long have you known that chick?" Nabooru asked Zelda as she ran to catch up to her about six minutes into the mile run.

Zelda quirked a blond brow. She panted, "What?"

"That Midna character… How long have you known her?"

"Just today is all… She just transferred to our school. Why?" Zelda answered between gasps for air.

Nabooru frowned. "I don't like her."

Well that was blunt. "Why not?" Zelda queried when Nabooru didn't expand on her thoughts.

Sheik suddenly ran passed the two girls screaming in triumph that he had finally passed his twin on the mile, when one foot suddenly ran into the back of the other, causing him to trip and see little Triforces circling his head. The two girls ignored the sweaty, panting Sheikah without a second glance.

The Gerudo's eyes darkened slightly. "There's just something about her that seems… off. Like she's hiding something. Plus, she glares at you behind your back. Mine too, but I'm used to people hating me."

Zelda raised an eyebrow in confusion. This was all news to her. Was Nabooru being serious or… jealous? Was that even possible? Sure the two of them had practically grown up together. Nabooru and Ganondorf were actually cousins. And, since Ganondorf liked to visit so much since meeting Zelda in the third grade, she and Nabooru had become the closest of friends. However, after reaching high school, Nabooru had picked up a new crowd and left Zelda to her own devices for the most part.

Initially, Zelda had guessed it had something to do with a fight that she may have had with Ruto, but the two best friends still seemed to be on good terms. So Zelda was simply left wondering what could possibly have driven her away. Her brothers maybe? Nabooru had never even hung around them…

"I know you can pick your own friends, but… Still. Something's off about all this," Nabooru summarized, cutting into Zelda's thoughts.

Zelda quickly snapped back to reality. "Okay. Thanks, Nabs."

Nabooru grinned at her old nickname. "No problem, Zellie."

At the end of the mile, Sheik finally caught up to them, still huffing and puffing. "That… was… torture," Sheik gasped between breaths as he wiped away a bit of sweat.

"You just suck at Gym," Venex said, jogging backwards. "Where did you guys go? I finished, like, forever ago!"

Sheik glared. "Not everyone's as fit as you!"

"You know…" Midna started. "Shouldn't Sheik be the fit one? I mean… he is Sheikah."

Venex and Zelda glanced at their brother. "Yeah… You'd like to think that," Venex said. "But I'm way manlier!"

Zelda shook her head. "I just don't question it. They're both… 'special.'"

Midna nodded slowly. "That's one way to put it."

**…**

Even after school Zelda was still thinking about what Nabooru had said to her. Why Midna? And why voice concerns now? Zelda frowned as she plopped her ocarina into her backpack, alongside her English textbook. She made a mental note to complete the homework so she would have no chances of having to "Get help from Ganon" later on. She shivered at the thought.

But, regardless of Nabooru's warning and Midna's anti-people personality, Zelda could feel that something was about to change.

**…**

"There. All set," Nayru said as she dusted her hands against each other in order to scatter the dust particles that had gathered.

"Great," coughed Din. "Can we actually get to work on our mission instead of _cleaning_? We have better things to do! We don't have all the time in the world to waste here so let's just get this thing done and over with!"

"An excellent tactic and the earlier the better," Nayru interrupted evenly, blue hair falling in graceful, slight curls as she set a book down.

"Agreed. Now that we have set up our cover, we had best prepare for the situation at hand," Farore said with an approving nod as Link appeared from the back room.

"Yeah. The sooner you sweep her off her feet and elope for your happily ever after, the sooner we can stop coming to these stupid places," the red-headed female said irately, glancing at her surroundings with boredom etched on her face.

"You didn't have to come," a creaky voice snapped.

"And miss the adventure? I don't think so," Farore said evenly. Her green hair bobbed in their twin buns as she turned to the young Hylian male and said, "Now. Let's get you ready for school tomorrow."

"Yeah, kid," the red-head said, getting up and grabbing the boy by the right arm. "You can't just waltz in there like every other kid if you want to get the girl, so let's work on your swagger."

"Swagger?" Link asked, confused as he raised an eyebrow.

Din nodded. "Yep. If I'm going to be stuck in this stupid building all day long for the entire time, then I am going to teach you swag, darn it!"

"Din, you're the one that Ganondorf would be most likely to recognize in an undercover operation. You're his patroness. Besides, we need somebody to stick around here. Two somebodies, really," Nayru corrected herself as she looked at the broomstick-hovering figure nearby. "Logically, you two are the best choices for reasons mentioned."

Din grunted in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah. I know. But I get to teach the kid swagger. I call dibs!"

"Lovely, you already sound like a mortal," Farore said with a grin.

"And Link needs to register," the bluenette added, interrupting any possible fighting between her sisters.

"_I'll_ take him for that," the creaky voice snarled. The other three didn't argue.

The boy rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Hooray. Me and my demon grandmother. Nothing can possibly go wrong."

The owner of the creaky voice smiled as she said, "No, Link. Nothing at all."

* * *

**Spazzy:** Why does my face still itch? URGH!

**XIII:** Why the heck would I know? Just don't rub your face off. It's beautiful the way it is.

**Spazzy:** Oh, thank you… Wait… I think I'm allergic to you.

**XIII**: … No comment. Anyways, what'd you guys think of Chapter 1? Did you love it? Hate it? Want Link to hurry up and enter Zelda's life already? :D I feel like I was going to mention something else…

**Spazzy:** Like Taco Sauce? I love tacos… They're delicious…

**XIII:** Uh-huh. So… REVIEW!

**Spazzy: **TACOS!

**Review Responses:**

_GASP: _HAHAHAHA! You just made my day. That wasn't exactly feedback, but still hilarious. :D Thanks for cheering me up!

_THE REVIEW FOR THIS STORY:_ Thanks. :) It makes me happy to hear you say that. Hopefully you will enjoy the next update as well. :D

_Anonymous:_ Thanks! I'm glad that you enjoyed the Prologue so much. Spazzy and I worked pretty hard on it, so it's good to hear that our efforts weren't in vain. :) Hope you enjoy Chapter 1 as well!

_SarcasticMustache:_ 1.) :D Thanks! It made me so happy to see that you had reviewed. I grinned when I saw your pen name. I'm glad the new concept is working for you. I hope you enjoy it even more as the plot furthers and develops. 2.) Haha. :D Yep. I hope you look forward to the rest of the story. Hopefully the hilarious moments won't be too weird. XP


	3. 2: First Impressions

**WhiteXIII:** I am so sorry this chapter is so late! Brain blocks hate me so much and my schedule!

**O Spastic One:** Yes. Yes you do. And, yay! It's finally done!

**WhiteXIII:** Uh-huh! :D You guys were so awesome with all the support and a special thanks to everyone who read my A/N's in "Hyrule Academy" and came on over. :D THANKS TO: Aunty JJ, ZeldaPhoenixLegend, gssmswssbbdkpz, Peridot0814, dragoness of storm, Winter McCarth, Evasme, Spaz-attack101, THISISSPARTAAAAAAAAA, amwick, Katia0203, akitachick, CaptainQuirk1701, huslman777, ion2130, The Review, hawkeye-song, Blind Pheonix, shad999, ZeLink-fevah-28, erico637, GameCivilization, Neko x3, whosahassa, GlissGirl99, MoonLiger, KitaiKnight97, Bleachshowlover1, sora'scollection, Nint3ndozzzz, themightyweasel, and Spaz-attack101 FOR EVERYTHING!

You guys rock and thanks for being so patient!

**Spazzy:** ENJOY!

* * *

Chapter 2

First Impressions

_**Wednesday**_

_ It was official. Zelda was going to be sick. Her fingers were a deathly white color as she grabbed onto the door handle for dear life while her brothers, who were sitting in the front seat, yelled in excitement._

_ "Yeah! Go faster over the next speed bump! Faster!" Sheik laughed maniacally as Venex happily complied, his red hair seeming to suspend in mid-air as the car smashed into another speed bump and caught some air._

_ "Slow down!" a fifteen year-old Zelda screamed over the noise._

_ "Never!" the two boys answered simultaneously. "We haven't had this much fun on the ride to school for ages!"_

_ "That's because Sheik drives even worse than you and got his license revoked!" Zelda gasped as they slammed into yet another one. "PULL OVER!" she yelled. When her brothers only continued to ignore her, Zelda reached up to the front and yanked on the emergency brake._

_ The old, battered car came to a screeching halt and let out a loud honk as Venex's body slammed against its horn._

_ "That was awesome!" Venex and Sheik yelled after a dazed silence. "Do it again!" That's when the sirens sounded and the police finally managed to catch up._

That was how Venex got his license revoked two years ago. And, honestly, Zelda was grateful that her father was the cop that had done the revoking, otherwise, Venex could have gone to Juvie instead of being grounded for a month and going twenty-five without driving privileges.

She sighed as Venex, who was sitting in the Passenger seat up front, turned around and began explaining once again why a taco would lose to a mayo and apricot jam sandwich in a fight.

The familiar queasy feeling she always got when either of them drove seeped through her being and she shuddered. Zelda shook her head, trying to ignore the insanity that was her brothers. How were they related exactly? She wasn't sure and maybe she didn't want to know either.

"I'm telling you, the Kung Pow would totally do in the taco! You know how much those flavors don't work together," Venex stated as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

Sheik shook his head, his crimson eyes narrowed. "No way! Jam and mayonnaise don't work together to begin with! That's gross! Kung Pow couldn't possibly make it any worse."

"Nuh-uh! _Zelda_ liked it when I made it for her!"

Zelda paled. When did that…? No, too much information. And, with those two, it was better to know nothing of what they were saying than actually understanding them. She gulped harshly and turned the car, which they had gotten as a replacement, around the bend, its silver surface flashing in the sunlight.

"Oh, come on, Zelda! Your driving is so boring!" Apparently they had finished their debate and returned to their favorite activity: bugging Zelda. "You're gonna fall asleep at the wheel at this rate. Here, let me help you." Venex reached his hand towards the wheel.

Zelda's eyes snapped in his direction as she swatted his hands away. "I'm driving us, Venex. Not you. Neither of you even have a license!"

"Yeah, but with the way you drive we'll be old people by the time we get there," Sheik muttered, earning a scowl from Zelda.

"_I_ go the speed limit. That's why I still have my license and you two don't."

Sheik made a pouty face in the backseat. And, just as Zelda was about to congratulate herself on calming her sporadic siblings, Venex suddenly reached over, yanking the wheel back and forth, causing the car to swerve.

"Venex!" Zelda shrieked. "Stop it! You're gonna make us hit something!"

"Well, if we do, we get points!" Venex laughed maniacally as he and Zelda fought for the wheel. "Besides, the road's empty! What could happen?"

**…**

The wind blew softly, tousling Link's blond hair into his azure gaze, but the Hylian male didn't seem to notice. He was too lost in his own thoughts. He kicked at a stray pebble that had the misfortune of being next to his sneaker. It went spiraling away, hiding in the sidewalk's gutter as the storm in Link's mind grew.

Another new of school, another new batch of kids and teachers to meet. But that wasn't what was making Link's brain spin with questions and scenarios, it was the old ones he was worried about.

Would they remember him? Obviously _he_ would… but the teachers… how many of the old ones had stayed? And what was he supposed to do about Zelda? Her friends? She must have some. It was improbable that she didn't… How would she take to meeting him?

He shook his head, clearing it of images of the damage that had already been done. Junior in high school… what all had happened? What had he missed?

Link growled in frustration and ground his teeth together. "Focus," he hissed to himself. He glanced on each side of him before stepping out into the street, not registering the little silver car speeding around the corner. _Back story… What am I going to tell everyone?_

**…**

"Venex, let go! Zelda huffed as she finally succeeded in prying her brother from the wheel. He looked suddenly through the front window, deepening Zelda's death glare. "That was reckless! Somebody could've been hurt!" When her elder brother didn't answer, Zelda snapped, "What?"

He finally seemed to find his voice as his hand flew up to point out the front. "DUDE!"

Zelda blinked a few times, confused. Her brother repeated himself, louder this time, causing Zelda to finally return her gaze to the front. Her eyes widened and her heart leapt into her mouth as she recognized a pedestrian right in her path. She screamed, the boy looked at her, she hit the brakes. Zelda's heart felt as if it had shattered when she felt the tires bump against something solid.

"Oh, sweet Nayru," she finally managed to gasp before rushing to fumble with her seatbelt. She stumbled out of the car, and, finding only a faded green backpack with a torn shoulder strap, began muttering the same phrase as if it were a mantra that would change what had just occurred: she had just run over someone…

A low breath of relief greeted her ears as she took note of a blond-haired boy rolling out from beneath her car. His blue eyes were wide with surprise as his gaze found her, but he managed a sheepish smile. "That was a close one," he breathed with a hint of laughter in his voice.

Zelda's mind was frozen for a second as she registered the perfectly intact and in shape teen that had just rolled from beneath her car. "I am so sorry! I just hit you! I'm sorry! Are you okay? Where are you hurt? What's your name?" She was down on her knees, her hand brushing against the victim's forehead, checking for a temperature or chill.

"No, no, you're fine! I saw you at the last second, so you missed me… You got my backpack, but I'm fine, really, Miss…" Link's rambled reply to Zelda's rapid fire question suddenly came to a halt as he recognized the blonde female before him. "I'm sorry… what's your name?"

"Zelda. What's yours?" When Link didn't respond right away, Zelda gave out a low sigh, her violet eyes wide with panic. "Oh, Din's Fire, you got amnesia!"

"What? No. No! I'm fine. I mean…" he shook his head a few times, trying to get his head straight as his luck. Not quite the first impression he was looking for, but… too late to take it back now. "I'm Link."

Zelda blinked a few times, her mind clicking the name into place. Her eyes snapped up, quickly meeting with his azure ones. They froze for a moment, her kneeling on the ground, he crouching, her hand still pressed against his forehead.

_It's him… How is he…? He's not supposed to be real, I mean… He's a figment of my dreams… But I can feel he's here… I just hit him with the…_ Zelda gasped and suddenly stood. "We need to get you to a hospital!" she exclaimed.

Link's eyes widened in slight panic. Not there, anywhere but there! _I don't need _that_ to happen again._ He quickly jumped to his feet. "No, that's okay. There really isn't a need for that. You missed me, I'm perfectly fine."

Zelda shook her head vehemently. "You almost got ran over by a car! You must be in shock! You need medical attention!"

"No, really. I-"

"Hey, you okay?" Venex asked, all jokes and immaturity thrown from his mind. "Did we hit you?"

Link shook his head. "You missed me."

"You rolled out from under the car!" Zelda exclaimed, in near hysterics.

"I got down on the ground before you hit me. I'm fine," Link insisted, going to retrieve his backpack and objects, which had been strewn into the street.

Venex's green eyes deepened with unusual concern as he said, "Well… Okay, but… At least let us give you a ride. Where are you headed?"

Link paused for a moment, weighing his options. He glanced at his wristwatch. He was late. Demon grandma was going to have his hide for this one. Well, it couldn't hurt, right? "Uh… Ordona High?"

The red-haired Hylian grinned as he forked his thumb towards the car. "Hey! That's our school! How about you just jump on in the back with Sheik, our brother."

Blue eyes widened in surprise, but Link simply nodded and climbed into the backseat. He and Sheik exchanged quick glances before nodding quiet greetings and turning away. This was definitely an interesting turn of events…

"Good idea, Venex," Zelda muttered as they both climbed in. She didn't stop to take the time to stare in disbelief at the blaspheme she had just spoken. Venex and ideas? What? "We'll take him to the nurse when we get there."

"Um… Are you sure you're fit to drive, Zelda? You seem kinda… shaken…" Sheik said slowly from the back seat.

Zelda nodded shakily, her mind whirling in its attempt to understand how she had just managed to run over her dream guy with her car. "Nobody else can," she answered simply as she started the car up and finished going over the speed bump she had mistaken earlier for Link's road killed figure.

Throughout the ride, Link tried with little success to come up with an excuse to not go to the nurse. Zelda was adamant, Sheik was silent and Venex, for once, had no jokes.

**...**

An elderly woman sat stiffly in the lobby's worn, faded orange couches, a frown on her face as her white hair fell stubbornly from her hair band. The pen in her hand tapped restlessly against a stack of papers on her lap as she gazed around, eyebrows arched irately. He was late. She gave a frustrated sigh and looked over the information once more. They just needed a personal interview and picture for the yearbook and she could be done there.

She shook her head. Why had they decided to go their separate ways this morning? Oh, right, she didn't feel like walking her "grandson" to his first day of school. And why would she want to travel with him any more than she had to?

Her yellow-green eyes widened as they snagged on the blond-haired object of her irritation as he was dragged through the door and into the nurse's office. She furrowed her brow questioningly.

Also taking note of her, Link shot his "grandmother" a pleading look. But it was no use as a rather familiar blonde, accompanied by a red-eyed boy, dragged Link into the back and towards the Nurse's office.

She shook her head slowly, almost chuckling to herself as her mind tried to conjure what the boy could have possibly messed up before even making it to the school building.

**ROOM: Nurse's Office. NURSE: Dr. Troy.**

"So you say he was hit by a car?" Dr. Troy asked slowly as he grabbed a little flashlight. The two opposing stories of the students before him was definitely the most interesting thing he'd heard in his entire high school career.

_"Um… Dr. Troy? This guy was run over by a car this morning… Do you think you could take a look at him?"_ Definitely a memorable moment, especially when the boy had disagreed with the girl's statement.

Sheik kept glancing between Zelda, Dr. Troy and Link, just waiting to see where this conversation would go. Venex would want a play-by-play since he was missing the action in exchange to go to his favorite class.

Zelda nodded, more slowly than she had earlier that morning. She honestly couldn't remember all that had happened. In place of what she should have seen was a white sheet. Dr. Troy and his large grey mustache had told her that was a common occurrence for people who witness something they didn't want to comprehend. She was still certain it had happened, though, even if she and her brothers couldn't find evidence of the ordeal on the bumper. "Yes."

Dr. Troy nodded in understanding as he turned his attention to Link, who shifted uncomfortably on the paper covered examination table. "I'm going to shine this in your eyes, so don't close them please."

Link nodded and remained stone still as the school's nurse took his tests, checking Link's vitals and such. "Well… I see no signs of nystagmus, aniscoria or any other symptoms… Without your back story, Miss Altari, I'd say this boy has the cleanest bill of health I've seen… for the past three hours."

"What?" Zelda asked, bewildered. She had hit him, she was sure of it!

"His eyes are tracking and his pupils are even in dilation. No brain damage whatsoever," Dr. Troy said, thinking her confusion was in his slip of medical terms. He smiled happily as his green and pink parakeets fluttered over to him from their perch. Figures only a high school like Ordona would have a Biologist for their school nurse. But he was medically certified.

"Like I tried to explain when we first came in," Link started slowly. "I was able to move at the last second. She completely missed me."

Sheik kept his gaze carefully neutral as his mind spun in never ending circles. Upon his arrival to the nurse's office, Link had changed his story. Instead of ducking down, he jumped out of the way… Zelda was in shock, but Sheik could remember a bit more of what had happened.

She was right.

And though they found no blood on the bumper or injuries on Link… there was a dent on the front. Sheik's mind briefly replayed the moment when he had watched Link smack against the car before going under. He had been hit. Badly. But why weren't there any signs of the incident?

"It certainly seems to be that way," Dr. Troy agreed, nodding sagely.

"But… I… Sheik, you saw it too! … Didn't you?" Zelda asked, turning to her twin with a confused look on her face.

Sheik took a millisecond's look at Link's face before answering, "Zel, I think you're in shock. You missed him, remember? Maybe you should lie down."

Zelda blinked a few times before nodding and heading into the back room. _Well… Maybe I just imagined it? _She gave an internal, nervous laugh as her mind added, _He'd be dead right now if I had hit him. Even if it was only at 25 miles per hour…_

As soon as his sister was out of sight and the nurse had left to get both boys a slip to class, Sheik quickly turned on Link, his red eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you hurt?" he demanded quietly. "I saw you go under."

Link quirked a blond brow. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said slowly, calmly.

Sheik's narrowed eyes gleamed with irritation. "There's a brand new dent on the bumper that wasn't there this morning. You're the only thing we hit. But you don't even seem fazed by what happened. You should at least be in shock, since you were nearly road kill."

Link sighed, but divulged nothing further. What was he supposed to do about this little slip up?

"I covered for you. All I want in return are answers," Sheik hissed after checking to insure Dr. Troy wasn't coming back just yet.

The blond Hylian glanced up at the red-eyed male, weighing his options, his answers on the tip of his tongue. But it was what Sheik said next that settled it:

"I know who you are."

Link's eyes widened and hardened in one swift response to the accusation. "Then you can tell me what I've missed?" the muttered statement came out more as a question as the two boys kept their gazes firmly locked on the other.

After a moment's hesitation, Sheik nodded carefully. "I'll want answers."

"Everyone does, but that'll just have to wait," Link muttered, plastering an easy, almost bored expression on his face as Dr. Troy returned, a slip of paper in hand.

He handed Sheik the small slip and turned to Link, mildly puzzled. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't seem to find your name in the school's system…"

"I just transferred here this morning," Link answered evenly. "I was supposed to meet my grandmother here to complete my registration and get my schedule."

The smile returned as Dr. Troy simply nodded and gestured out to the office. "Oh, well. By all means then…" As Link stood to go, he added quietly, "I do hope you finish soon. Something about your grandmother is… unsettling."

Link sighed. "Yeah, I know. She has that effect on everybody." And with that, he left to face the wrath of his impatient relation.

Sheik ran the slip through his fingers, his eyes fixed firmly on the back of Link's head as another image flitted across his mind's eye, out of sight, but still translating the same message over and over again.

**…**

By the time Zelda had finally been allowed to get up and leave the Nurse's office, Sheik and Link were long gone. She huffed in mild annoyance as she sat in her first period class, the last five minutes ticking by without any signs of action.

Saria had given her a concerned glance, but wasn't allowed to say much as Mrs. Gladia, or simply Fi as many called her, continued in her lesson in her strangely semi-echoing voice. However, Fi's lecture wasn't potent enough to dull Ganondorf from sending her his usual 'lovely' and 'covert' glances from across the room. She shuddered and was again grateful for the bell.

"So what happened?" Saria asked quietly as soon as she had caught up. "You were so late today, I was thinking about asking Fi if you had gotten into some sort of accident on your way here…"

Zelda internally cringed at the word 'accident,' but shrugged nonchalantly instead. "Something the boys did this morning made me late. Sorry to worry you." It wasn't completely a lie…

Saria nodded, accepting Zelda's words without a second thought. "Well that's a relief, I guess…"

Zelda smiled brightly. "See you at lunch?"

The green-haired Kokiri returned the expression with a happy nod. "Always."

Leave it to Saria to make everything seem normal. Zelda sighed, forcing herself to calm down. It was just a morning like every other… Sorta. She started to walk towards the school's main entrance absentmindedly when she saw him.

The boy Zelda had hit that morning, Link, was standing outside the sanctioned off office area looking mildly confused by the sudden cacophony of students funneling out of their first period classes.

She wasn't completely sure why her brain had just referred to him as if he were a complete stranger—it was hard to consider someone an outsider when you almost run the life out of them—perhaps it was her mind's vain attempts at separating him from the guy in her dreams. But, somehow, Zelda got the impression that they were one and the same, though didn't dare admit it as if such an action would declare her mentally unstable or otherwise insane. And as the only member in her family with a shred of normalcy, Zelda was desperate to cling to her sanity.

"What ya starin' at, Zel?" Sheik asked, the playful tone in his voice returning as he and their elder brother seemed to materialize from the midst of the crowd.

The red-haired brother grinned mischievously, getting the general direction of Zelda's gaze. "See something you like?" he asked teasingly.

Zelda felt her face heat, much as it did whenever she was caught thinking of her ever elusive and now real dream guy. "I'm going to class," she muttered vaguely, catching sight of Midna and running to catch up with her, regardless of Nabooru's previous warnings. "Hey, Midna."

The said Twili merely glanced over her shoulder, disinterested in whoever it might be. Seeing Zelda, she managed to say, "Hey."

Zelda smiled politely as she matched her pace to Midna's. "So what class are you headed to this morning?"

She rolled her eyes. "Magic. Which is completely pointless to me because I have a very specific and obviously very different type than everyone else here," she muttered in annoyance. Sighing, she added, "Besides, magic is the first thing we cover in the Twilight Realm, it develops quickly in Twili."

"Wow. I've never heard that before," Zelda said with genuine interest, the mornings' incidents far behind her.

Midna snorted. "Of course you haven't. Nobody really knows anything about the Twili. Anyways, why are you so interested?"

"I'm curious," Zelda exclaimed as if she couldn't believe Midna's lack of interest. "Besides, this is the most you've said to me since I met you."

Midna scoffed, forcing back a small laugh. "I guess so."

Zelda stopped by a set of double doors that had been magnetized open by an alternate hallway. "Um… Midna? Class is this way."

"I knew that," Midna growled, her good-humored self vanishing. But Zelda smiled regardless because now she knew that, beneath all that anti-people mantra, there was a fun, kind person waiting to make an appearance.

**…**

Link looked around the crowded school hallways. First period had barely ended and it was already a zoo. He looked inside the office as an elderly woman was filling out enrollment papers for him. He sighed and let his gaze fall across the school.

"I know you're here," he muttered. Then, his eyes finally found his prey. A boy with red hair looked at the boy with a smirk before disappearing into the crowd. Link glared. "Ganondorf... I've finally found you…" Now all of this could end. He looked back at the office as if hoping demon grandma would get the same notion. The old lady was holding her wrists and, he could tell, was clearly complaining about how much signing had to be done. He shook his head, knowing that he'd be hearing about it later.

Once again, he looked around the crowded halls with a bored expression. His heart skipped a beat as he felt a familiar presence nearby. He looked around, trying to find the source, when he caught sight of her.

Her blond hair fell down her back and around her shoulders, she was looking at him. The boredom melted softly, he blinked, then turned away as the old woman emerged from the office. He wouldn't have noticed her at all, if she hadn't spoken.

"Don't let her distract you, boy," she said grumpily. "You haven't forgotten already, I trust?"

The blond nodded slowly. "I know what I need to do," he said, turning away from her as his heart began to sink.

The old lady smiled cruelly at his pain. "Get going, Link. There's much to be done."

**PERIOD: 2. CLASS: Magic. ROOM: 072. TEACHER: Ralph Mita.**

"So why exactly are you in this class if it doesn't apply to you?" Zelda asked as Midna finally consented to sitting at the table with her, Malon and Sheik.

The Twili shrugged, completely bored as she took her much insisted spot closest to the aisle. "It's a required course, most classes were filled and the registration lady wouldn't drop it?" Midna offered the answers with a roll of her eyes. "I don't understand how you people think."

Malon laughed. "Honestly, I don't think most of us do."

Midna cracked a grin at this response. Malon really knew how to make friends with people. "What's your name again, red-head?"

"It's Malon, orange-hair," the Hylian female replied with an easy smile.

The two girls exchanged grins. The bell rang and, instantly, their tall, red-headed and forever irate-faced teacher, Mr. Ralph Mita entered the room. "Alright, class, let's start where we left off last class." He turned to face the students, who had instantly fallen silent at his green glare. "Now who here remembers…?"

At that moment the door creaked open, exposing the figure of a boy in a green T-shirt and dark wash jeans. Zelda felt her face heat and hoped to Nayru that Sheik would keep his mouth shut. The boy spoke, "Excuse me, but is this Mr. Mita's Magic class?"

His golden lining of his cerulean cape flipped dramatically as he turned to face the door. "Yes, and you are late, Mister…?"

"Siva. Link Siva, sir," Link answered respectfully from his spot in the doorway.

Ralph raised a suspicious, red, bushy brow and his mouth pressed into a firm line in an attempt to hide his marginal approval. "I see. Well, welcome to Ordona High. Please take your seat by Miss Koria, fourth row on the right," he said, waving his hand in the general direction.

Link gave a smile, which seemed strangely relieved and annoyed at the same time. Zelda, however, didn't have much time to contemplate this as she attempted to melt into her chair and fade into invisibility as the blond approached.

A few girls turned a visible shade of crimson while others attempted to covertly turn their heads as he passed, saliva threatening to breach the premises of their mouths. Electronic lights flooded the underside of multiple desks.

Zelda felt something by her move. Her violet eyes wandered to the Twili sitting by her tensed. Midna's red irises were wide as she stared at the newly arrived Hylian. A few stray words seemed to form on her lips before she suddenly jutted out of her seat, standing firmly behind her desk as soon as Mr. Mita had been conveniently called from the room.

Link's blue eyes widened in a mix between surprise and confusion. Zelda could honestly admit she felt similarly.

"Midna Dawnshade," Midna said simply after a deep breath only Zelda seemed to have noticed. She stood, staring down the Hylian in the aisle, who had stopped just at their table.

A few girls seemed to hiss in the background at the nerve the new girl, and a horrid Twili to boot, had to address him so directly.

After a few moments, Link smiled and accepted Midna's hand in a shake. "It's nice to meet you, Shade."

The Twili nodded in silent response, slowly taking her seat as Link went to the next row back by a small, Kokiri female, leaving the other girls in the room with mouths agape and Zelda's mind spinning uselessly in circles.

Had that really just happened? But Midna… Didn't she hate people?! Reflecting on lunch the day previous, Zelda wondered briefly if Midna really was boy crazy. Maybe Link was just the kind of guy that had that kind of effect on girls… Even Midna.

"What are you all staring at?" Mr. Mita snapped as he stormed through the classroom entrance once more. "The lesson's up here!" Class then seemed to resume as normal.

But Zelda's heart just wasn't into the lesson. Even if it was a review for a test. The only place for understanding information was geared toward Midna's strange behavior and dream boy's sudden appearance…

Was he really the same guy from her dreams? Zelda bit her lip as she chanced a glance backwards to find Link staring off into space, gratefully his attention wasn't forward, and quietly took him in. She forced her eyes to focus in an attempt to see his magical core, which, for most, was buried at the center of their being. She frowned in disappointment as she found nothing. Of course not all Hylians had magic, but… she had been silently hoping that he had the large core her dream version always seemed to possess.

His eyes seemed to flicker towards her and Zelda quickly turned attention back to the front. Her face was beet red as her pounding heart beat madly within her. Well, he looked identical on the outside and seemed to steal the oxygen around her…

_Get a hold of yourself, Zelda! Falling for a guy just because of the way he looks is so cliché and shallow!_

The female Hylian spent the rest of class beating her head against an invisible wall. Stop obsessing with Midna's behavior. Stop thinking of the guy she had hit this morning. Zelda groaned as class ended and they headed for lunch.

Midna glanced behind her. The Twili's mouth twitched up into what was suspiciously shaped like a smile as she caught the blond boy's gaze for a moment.

So… He was finally here…

**PERIOD: Lunch. PLACE: Band Room Hallway.**

Ruto squealed. "So it's official?" When the green-haired girl nodded in affirmation to her last statement, Ruto shrieked again and hugged her friend viciously. "Saria, that's fantastic! You know, I knew that this was going to happen sooner or later. You and Mido are so totally going to be the cutest couple ever!"

"Yeah!" Malon nodded enthusiastically. "And you always seem to bring out the best in him." She sighed. "You're so lucky, Saria! You've already found your prince charming!"

Ilia quickly added, "And just try to remember you still like him when you're reprimanding him for doing something stupid."

"Like you're one to talk," muttered Venex.

"What was that?" Ilia demanded, putting her hands on her hips, even in her sitting position.

Venex cringed. "You just bite off Fado's head whenever he doesn't get enough sleep or accidentally underfeeds one of the goats on his Ranch."

"No I don't!" Ilia fumed, smacking the red-headed Hylian over the head with her paper lunch bag.

Midna laughed at the notion. "Careful, Ilia. Or else senior boy here will get the idea that you like _him_ better than your boyfriend."

Ilia, fuming at Midna, retracted her lunch bag of doom and preceded to ingest its contents.

"I'm so happy!" Ruto announced, still crushing Saria through the madness that had just occurred.

Saria grinned sheepishly as she was finally released from Ruto's death grip. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it…"

"Zelda!" Ruto exclaimed as if just remembering the blonde Hylian sitting three people away. "What's your good dance news?! You going with anybody yet?" She gasped. "It's Ganondorf, isn't it?! He's had the eye for you ever since the eighth grade!"

Zelda made an unpleasant face as she vehemently shook her head at the idea. However, before she could answer, Venex spoke, "Nah, not the Dragmire kid. You know Zelda's into brains, not brawns."

Ruto nodded thoughtfully. "True…" Zelda's eyes were raised in surprise. When did Venex ever pay enough attention to know that of all things?

"Besides," he added, a mischievous glint appearing in his green gaze. "She likes guys with brains where she can see them. Our little Zellie proved that to us when she hit on her first guy this morning!"

Ruto squealed, Ilia made a disbelieving noise, Saria's eyes widened and Zelda stared as her brothers broke out laughing.

Finding her voice, and her anger accompanying it, Zelda growled, "That was all your fault, Venex! Not mine!"

"What happened?" Ruto, Malon and Ilia demanded, quickly leaning in.

"Yeah, seriously," Midna said with furrowed brows. Why was she suddenly in such a sociable mood today of all days?

Before her brothers could answer and further humiliate her, Zelda interjected, "Venex stole the wheel of the car from me this morning, distracted me and made me almost hit a pedestrian this morning."

"Aw! She even admits it!" Venex said, doting on his baby sister.

"You hit a guy?" Midna asked incredulously.

"Is he okay?" Saria asked worriedly.

"Did he get a concussion?" Ilia queried.

"Hospital?" Malon suggested.

"Was he hot?!" Everyone stopped, Venex and Sheik included, to stare at Ruto's last statement. "What?" she asked. "It's important. I gotta know the important deets!"

Malon's head suddenly jerked up as she began rummaging through her jean pockets. "Oh! Speaking of which, did you guys see that text from last class?"

Ruto gasped. "YES! I just about died!"

"I almost got caught with my phone out in the middle of class," Ilia admitted. Her face was pink as she added, "But it was totally worth it!"

The three girls squealed. Zelda, happy that the conversation was off her, was more than willing to jump into this new topic. Plus, she had no idea what they were talking about and got the vague impression that she would want to. Unsuspecting, she asked, "What text?"

The blue-skinned Zora quickly shoved her touch screen phone into Zelda's face. Upon its glassy surface was the all too familiar face of a blond Hylian. "It's the new guy!" Ruto said, excitedly! She gasped, "You know, I heard he came from Termina! That place is crammed with schools for geniuses! Maybe he'll be your type!"

Zelda groaned, but said nothing else to encourage her overzealous friend.

Venex grinned as he whispered in his sister's ear, "Yeah, maybe he'd take you to the dance… You could even threaten to run him over again."

The youngest Altari sibling scowled as she smacked her brother's shoulder irritably. "Not funny! After that, there's no way he'd be interested in dating me!" She felt her insides twist sadly at the thought, but largely ignored it to Sheik's first semi-normal comment of the day… For him at least.

Sheik grinned mischievously. "But you did knock him off his feet, though."

That earned him another smack.

**…**

Link paused, halfway through the cafeteria aisles, a sickly green lunch tray in hand, looking for a place to sit by himself… Or at least somewhere where he could keep his eye on Zelda… but the blonde female didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. His brow furrowed in confusion. _Not here…_ he mused. _Well, I guess it would be weird for me to go over uninvited anyways, so… alone it is._

"Hey, you new here?" a quiet voice asked.

Link spun around on his heel, ready to spring into action if necessary. The figure behind him was at least taller by a head and had short, brown hair. Link blinked a few times before internally relaxing. "Uh… Yes."

The boy smiled, his pale green eyes shining shyly. "Would you like to come and join my friends?"

Link hesitated. Would interacting with others impede his progress? When the green-eyed boy in front seemed to become nervous, Link finally nodded. "Thanks. That would be nice… But maybe some other time."

He smiled acceptingly at his explanation. "I'm Fado," he explained, holding out a huge, tanned hand.

"Link Siva." The two boys exchanged nods before heading off in their separate directions.

"Scared of people now, _Siva_?" taunted a deep, baritone voice.

Link's eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked to his right, where Ganondorf had suddenly appeared. "Only as much as you're afraid of me, _Dragmire_," Link responded coldly.

The Gerudo male scowled, but shrugged, seeming nonchalant as he walked away. "Whatever, old man. Just stay out of my way and maybe somebody will actually come out alive for once." He grinned sardonically, but Link made no visible response.

**PERIOD: 3. CLASS: Ancient Hylian. ROOM: 324. TEACHER: Madame Fanadi.**

Zelda never could understand why people would choose to skip a class. Even going to 'crazy' Fanadi's class never brought on that urge… Until today that is.

Her blonde hair fell over her left shoulder as a curtain and shield as Link walked through the doors. "Why is he in so many of my classes?" she groaned, mostly to herself since none of her friends shared this class with her. It used to be the most peaceful, but… now it contained bad memories of an unfortunate morning.

"_Fate!"_ Fanadi screeched in Ancient Hylian as Link took his seat on the other side of the room. "_Things happen for a reason, my children!_"

At least one thing was normal here…

**PERIOD: 4. CLASS: AP History. ROOM: 220. TEACHER: Madame Farore.**

Between Fanadi's crazy talk and trying to avoid all thoughts of a certain blonde transfer student, Zelda's mind was about ready to implode. The day couldn't possibly get any weirder or worse…

"Good evening class. I am Madame Farore, your new AP History teacher."

Of course Zelda's second favorite teacher had retired. Though Mr. Rauru had been considering it for a long time, as he was the eldest of the teachers, Zelda thought he'd at least stick around for the end of the year…

"Hello, Madame Farore," the class chanted back, waiting for the lesson to start.

Link just stared at the green-haired woman in surprise. Farore had told him she had gotten a job that morning, but… at the school? If Farore could sense Link's confusion, she gave no indication as she wasted no time in getting class started.

Even with the new teacher, class seemed normal. Zelda even relaxed enough to pay attention… Her gaze flickered a few seats in front of her to a mess of dirty blond. _Seriously… How many classes do we have together?_ She pouted. _Maybe I should just face him… Get it over with…_ She glanced around the classroom. A few girls were staring amiably at him, while the guys sitting closest to him shifted uncomfortably.

A frown worked its way onto Zelda's face. Why did it seem that they were avoiding him? From her position, Zelda could just barely see the side of his face, which seemed to be taught in deep concentration. The studious type… Maybe Zelda could talk to him…

Papers rustled in front of her face, jarring Zelda from her reverie. She looked up to see Medli, a Rito, holding a bucket filled with little strips, towards her. "It's for the paper Rauru was going to have us do," she mouthed.

Zelda nodded gratefully, took a paper and passed it on. _Princess of Destiny_ was scrawled across the tiny slip in cursive. She smiled, Zelda had always loved those types of stories.

The bell then rang, releasing the classroom into havoc as friends rushed to each other, complaining about what topic they had been assigned. Zelda rolled her eyes. _Welcome to AP English, guys…_she thought sarcastically as she worked her way into the aisle.

Her gaze fell back to Link, who was packing up his things quietly. _His face is awfully serious… _She internally sighed as she began walking towards the boy. What would she say to him? 'Hey, remember me? I accidentally ran you over this morning and…'

Deep azure flickered up to meet Zelda's violet pools, she stopped, stuttering a greeting and blurted, "Hey, remember me? I accidentally ran you over this morning and… I-I mean… I did do that, but I didn't mean to and…. Uh…."

His face visibly relaxed, the hardness in his eyes dissipating. "Yeah, I remember you. You left a pretty good first impression."

Zelda felt her face heat with humiliation. "I-I didn't mean to… My brother… the wheel… I…"

Link held his hand up, quieting the stuttering Hylian. "Look, why don't we just start from the beginning? You know, before you hit me with the car." Link said, his eyes genuine as he looked straight into Zelda's violet pools. The words were simple and wishful, but the blond male felt his heart strings tug painfully as he wished with every fiber of his being for it to be true.

Zelda laughed after a moment and nodded, her eyes smiling with her, freeing themselves from fear and regret at Link's words. "Zelda Altari," she said simply, jutting her hand out for his.

"Link Siva," he responded simply, taking her hand in a firm, but gentle shake.

A charge seemed to assault Zelda's system as a flash of a similar scenario flashed through her head incomprehensibly. She mentally shook it off as she muttered, "Welcome to Ordona High."

Link nodded acceptingly, releasing Zelda's hand from their greeting. "Are things normally crazy around here?"

Zelda laughed. "Completely different from Termina, I can assure you that. It's good, though. Nothing too exciting ever seems to happen." Even as the words slipped easily from Zelda's mouth, she could feel whatever semi-normalcy shrink away as she spoke with the boy before her.

_Different, huh? I certainly hope so…_ Indeed, Link hoped Zelda's words were true. Hoped they were true beyond what Zelda had meant.

"Zelda! Come on! I'm starving!" Venex yelled as his sister and that day's road kill emerged from Farore's classroom. "If you're not gonna come, then I'll drive!"

Zelda's head snapped to the side as she pointed dangerously at her brother. "Touch that steering wheel again and you'll learn the definition of fear!" The violet-eyed female smiled pleasantly at her new acquaintance, suddenly feeling mildly embarrassed about her outburst. "Well… I guess I'll be seeing you later?"

Link laughed. "Most definitely."

She smiled, her chest lightening ever so slightly. Zelda waved before heading off. Link reciprocated the gesture, smiling until she reached the corner down the crowded hallways. As her hair flew into a new hallway, Link's eyes were downtrodden, his smile sunk and his hand falling dead to his side.

"What do you plan to do?" a quiet female voice asked, observing Link's reaction from her peripherals as she came to stand by his side.

Link shrugged, his expression forming into one of polite neutrality, one he had mastered over years of practice. "Observation and damage control for now." His azure gaze was alert as he turned to the Twili nearby. "But this is my concern, not yours."

"But I can help you," Midna insisted in a near hiss, keeping her voice low.

"There's nothing you can do." Link began walking down the emptying corridors, Midna struggling to keep up with his brisk pace. "I appreciate what you've done so far, but you can't do anything for her."

Midna's red irises narrowed as she growled, "And you can? You've been doing a pretty bang up job so far!" Link's eyes narrowed, the blue turning to ice as Midna continued, "Where have you even been for the last sixteen years of her life?"

"I didn't know where she'd be and she never released the Summon until recently. You know what limits even I have," Link whispered in a dangerous tone.

"Which is why I can help! I'm already in her friend group. Plus, I'm a girl, so I can go more places with her than you can. Right now you're both just friendly strangers." Link scowled as he came to a stop. Midna was panting slightly as she continued, realizing she had found an opening, "I know more about you than almost everyone in this school… With the exception of your deity escort…" she mumbled the last part in fear of being heard.

"Look… Even if you really did want to help Zelda… We both know that isn't what you're here for, _Dawnshade._"

Determined red glared off steely blue as Midna spoke, "To set the record straight."

Link sighed, placing his hand on the Twili's shoulder, his eyes worn again. "There's nothing you can do," he repeated tiredly before turning and disappearing around the nearest bend.

Midna stood in the now empty hallway, her fist clenched in agitation at the results. She turned and glared down the hallway she knew led to the parking lot, where she knew the Altari's had parked the car, where Zelda had gone off to. Her red eyes burned as she turned away, her fury rebounding off the school walls. Link Siva was going to get her help whether he wanted it or not. Now that Midna had finally found him, there was no way she would back out now.

**…**

The bells of the Library rang out happily as Link pushed his way through. His backpack was slung over one shoulder with one strap dangling pathetically and broken from the side as he made his way to the back room where little mats had been placed for beds.

Din looked up from her spot at the counter. "Well, how'd it go? Did you make an impression?" she asked impatiently.

"Sure." Link shrugged, non-committal as he headed to his makeshift bed in the backroom of the Library. "On the front bumper…" he muttered quietly as he collapsed on his bed to work on his homework.

Din grinned, not hearing the last part. "Fantastic." It was so good to know that all of last night's swag lessons hadn't gone to waste.

**…**

Zelda and her brothers had thoroughly investigated the car for any signs of the anomaly that morning, but still found no trace of the accident Zelda still had a hard time believing had never happened.

Venex slapped his forehead. "Oh, no!" he exclaimed, turning to face his siblings.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, her eyes wide with surprise and interest. Had he noticed something she hadn't?

"I just realized we didn't get any points from hitting the dude!" The world was clearly falling to pieces over this statement.

Zelda stared at her eldest brother for a few moments before raging, "_That's _what you're worried about!"

"We didn't even hit him!" Venex complained. "That's ten points wasted!"

Sheik laughed as his two siblings went at it yet again, but said nothing to break them up or argue against what they needed to believe at this point in time.

* * *

**WhiteXIII:** Hoorah! It's finally finished! What did you guys think? Did you have a favorite part? Questions about what's going on?

**O Spastic One:** Mmmm... Cheese.

**WhiteXIII:** You're always thinking about food!

**Spazzy:** I am! Because I like food! You have a problem with that?

**XIII:** Uh...

**Spazzy: **Good!

**Review Responses**:

_Aunty JJ:_ Thanks! I'm glad you think so! ^^ It's nice to hear from readers who have visited my other fic. You have no idea how happy it makes me. :D That's a good question. How did I do at answering it? What was your favorite part of the chapter?

_SarcasticMustache:_ Haha. I know, right? Plus, I think it's making my comp act funny… though it does that every other day, so that may just be normal. ^^' For a second there, I thought you were going to tell me that you hated Requiem and I was about ready to run for the hills. ^^' But I'm glad you like it! Haha. And Hyrule Academy. I'm glad you look forward to those updates so much. :D

1.)Dang. You caught me in the character creation scheme. XP I'm so glad you noticed that though. This story is kinda hard for me at times, so your uber specific and optimistic reviews are always highlights for me.

2.)Yay! I was worried his character would be too weird to swallow in this because… well, he's freaky… in a different way. :D

3.)Haha! Yay! That is an awesome reaction! I was wondering how many people would be confused. :D Hooray for the Three!

4.)Yes! Thank you for noticing! Working parts that are obscure like that drive my brain crazy! Things actually made sense to me when writing it, so I think I'm progressing… Anyways! I cannot thank you enough for telling me your thoughts and opinions on the events so far. As the author, I already know everything, so playing the game of explanation drives me nuts because there's a tough balance between awesomeness and not having enough information. I'm so happy the balance is there! Out of curiosity, is there anybody you _do_ trust at this point in time?

Planned? Pretty much, but I wasn't expecting so great a result from it. I'm really happy, though! :D

5.)No taco?! Gasp! You poor, deprived child! Unless you don't like them… or Mexican food, that's okay… Though I think tacos were actually made in America…

6.)Anyways! Haha! Which brother are you thinking Midna would go for? I am a very curious author… :D

_Katie:_ Yay! I'm glad you think so! :D And I'm so happy you loved that part! Thanks for your review and your specificity!

_The Review:_ Aw! ^/^ Thanks! It makes me so happy to hear that you guys are enjoying this so much. Thanks for your support!

_ZeLink-fevah-28:_ Okay, somewhere in reading this I got really confused. But I think the message was: "I love 'Hyrule Academy' and your writing; write more!" Well, I'm glad you enjoy my writing style. I'm still trying to work out the kinks, but your review is very encouraging. Yes, I have a few stories pending in my mind, but they won't be coming out for a while. :) I'm still working on time management… ^^' Anyways! What'd you think of this update? Worth the wait?

**REVIEW!**


	4. 3: Swim for Your Lives!

**WhiteXIII:** Hi, guys. *dodges flying fruits* Sorry it took me so freakishly long to update, but...

1) Brain blocks are the devil. 2) School's trying to kill me. 3) My computer killed half the chapter when I was almost done, so I had to rewrite most of it...

I'M SO SORRY!

On the bright side, Spazzy did a surprisingly good job of editing and of kicking me in the pants (the last part is the surprising thing...) so... I'VE UPDATED!

**Spzzy: **YAY! 1) No. Twins with too much time on their hands are the devil.

**XIII:** Yeah... Ouran binge.

**Spazzy:** Just a little bit. :D

**XIII:**You guys are so awesome for being patient with me!

**For those of you who read Hyrule Academy: **I apologize for the wait-I would've updated by now except for...

**Spazzy:** People, don't cuss XIII out. She doesn't appreciate it, and if this continues, Hyrule Academy may or may not be put on indefinite hiatus. When people cuss at her, her delicate, innocent mind can't take it, and she goes into a coma for-

**XIII:** Long story short: would've updated earlier except for very strong wording (Diplomatic approach?) which caused me to veer off Hyrule Academy for three months. I hope to update that soon.

MOVING ON! Thanks to: ZeldaPhoenixLegend, Princess Zelda-figure skater, GlissGirl99, Nint3ndozzzz, Persona-Person, Aunty JJ, katieOoT, Cheeser42, GameCivilization, Katia0203, dragoness of storm, SarcasticMustache, whosahassa, Evasme, HenryTheWise, Lord Tuxedo, Desert Rose, DesertRose98, Chibiness-O-Yeahh, Lars, Blaze, Screen, 1davey29, staythenight, PelleasTheEpic, LunaTales, LunaTales, and Fincolien TO THE END... FOR EVERYTHING!

ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

* * *

Chapter 3

Swim For Your Lives!

_**Day: Thursday**_

_Emerald greenery zoomed past, the air whisking the figure's face, the only visible __trace its shadow as it flashed over the earthen canvas. A brook bubbled by beneath the elusive figure __for a mere moment before it was soon lost from sight._

Almost there…_ the figure mused internally. Suddenly it stopped, nestled on the shaded limb of a shadowy tree, invisible, almost as if belonging among the other shadows and pulled out a small, stringed instrument._

_ Notes glazed through the thinning trees and outward into the silent field, which lay not too far off. _

**…**

"I'm telling you, it was the weirdest dream I've ever had," Sheik persisted adamantly.

Venex yawned. "Sheik, you know when I dream that I'm a super-mega-hottie-"

"You're right, that is a dream," Midna smirked.

The red-haired Hylian turned a bright shade of pink as he continued, "in armor—cuz you know all the ladies totally dig the man of armor—I know it's a dream because the Hylian Knights aren't around anymore! They're all dead! The last of them died with the Hero of Time."

Midna gave an amused "Hm…" before turning the other direction.

"I like the stories about knights—they're cool! Who wouldn't want to kick butt?!" Venex replied defensively.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but is there any point of your telling me this?" Sheik asked impatiently.

"Huh? Oh, right. Sheik, it's a dream because you're uncoordinated. That's why it can't be real," Venex said simply. He grimaced slightly as he muttered a quick apology. "But you know it's true…"

Embarrassment tinged Sheik's face red. He turned away muttering, "I know it was real. And, if you don't believe me, then I'll just talk to someone who will."

"Boys, boys, as much as I'm enjoying your little soap opera, may I remind you why we're here…" Midna prompted almost sarcastically as she gestured to the room in front of them.

Venex pouted from his position on the bleachers as he shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Moral support." He let out a weak 'hooray' to the near empty room before him. "I just wish they'd start already. I'm bored."

"Why are you here anyways?" Sheik asked as he turned his gaze questioningly to Midna. "You hardly know Zelda."

"Got bored," the Twili responded easily. "I get here early in the mornings. I got lost in the school, wound up here and was unfortunate enough to meet up with the two of you." She smiled pleasantly. "And you?"

"Zelda's our ride so we had to be here early," Sheik shrugged.

Venex sighed. "Class starts in forty-five minutes; can't they just do this thing and get it over with?"

A shiver passed through the air, causing Midna's skin to prick uncomfortably. Her scarlet gaze glared at the glassy pool in front of her.

"Hate water?" Venex asked teasingly, catching her gaze.

Midna 'hmm-ed' in response before standing, "Why don't we sit closer to the front?"

"We can see more from up here," Venex said, mildly confused.

The Twili female didn't seem to hear him as she leaned forward, preparing to descend. However, before she could take any motion downward, the doors burst open as students and parents began swarming into the room and filling the seats below the three teens.

Midna scowled as Venex pulled her back to her original seat. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly with a large grin on his face, "We have the best view!"

Midna didn't reply, instead she grumpily muttered, "I didn't even know a school this small _had_ a pool. I mean, your school nurse is a vet! How could you even _afford_ a pool if you can't even find a real nurse?"

Sheik shrugged, also grumpy at his brother's teasing. "We won a grant for sportsmanship and a pool was installed underneath the gym floor. It's kinda cool, I guess."

"Why under the Gym floor?"

Venex shrugged this time, a smile still plastered on his face. "I dunno, but it's awesome! 17 feet of swimming-diving goodness! Now Zelda can do the one sport that's least likely to get her killed! She's rather un-athletic. Like Sheik." He grinned innocently.

Sheik grumbled at the latter comment, but said nothing. Instead he glared at the equipment piled in the Gym's corners. _I am too athletic…_

"Fantastic," Midna mumbled sarcastically. Her gut twisted uncomfortably and she tried to shrug it off. _You're just being paranoid, Midna…_

**…**

Zelda shook her arms restlessly before resuming the stretching position. She breathed deeply, trying to steel her nerves. Her skin continued to prick nervously regardless of her calming techniques. Finally frustrated by the lack of results, Zelda grabbed her swimming cap and goggles before slamming the locker door shut.

"Uh-oh. Someone's not in the best of moods today. What's going on, Zel?"

Zelda gave an abashed smile to the Gerudo who was approaching her. "It's nothing, Nabooru. Sorry if I was bothering you."

The red-head laughed good naturedly. "Oh, no, no. I'm fine; I'm just worried about you. Usually you don't get stage fright."

Zelda shrugged. "Yeah, but, for some reason today feels… different…"

An orange-haired fairy was grinning animatedly as she added, "I hate it when that happens. Is it furry like a Thursday or prickly like Saturday?"

"Neither," Zelda answered with a laugh. Felicia always seemed to have the perfect quirk for calming her down. "Why are they letting all the students and parents watch today anyways? That's sorta…"

"Weird? Yeah, I know right? I don't know… Maybe the principal just wants to show off the new and ultra-fancy under-the-floor pool. It's Ordon, Zel! Nothing happens here!" Nabooru shrugged.

Felicia looked thoughtful before laughing, "Unless an Ordonian goat's giving birth to a brown-colored one… Okay, I'll admit, that was weird."

Zelda laughed with her friends. "Just a little bit."

Felicia grinned, her teeth almost sparkling. "You know what I found out this morning?"

"What?"

"Apparently the boys' swim team are doing their tryouts this morning as well…"

"Okay… And what's new about this?"

"Ganondorf's trying out," Nabooru mused with an expression somewhere between disturbed and flabbergasted. The proper reaction. Felicia nodded, looking perturbed.

Zelda followed suit. "I thought he hated swimming. Don't most Gerudo?"

"I'm okay with it," Nabooru grinned playfully. "I think it's kinda funny that my cousin hates it so much—he acts so macho, but at least part of him is a wimp."

Felicia shrugged. "I guess his obsession with you outweighs his dislike for water."

"No kidding," Zelda grumbled.

They exchanged glances before laughing slightly.

"Alright, ladies, everyone on deck!" Impa's voice came from the front door of the Girls' Locker Room.

"The boys must be finishing up," Felicia speculated as she and Zelda followed the mass of girls swarming from the locker room.

"Hopefully we get to miss all the scarring moments," Nabooru added.

Zelda only nodded.

**…**

Link stared pointlessly into his backpack before zipping it shut. Now that all the useless things were ready… He walked to the end of the small room where a large chest hid in the corner. After a few minutes of rummaging through its contents, Link's upper half reappeared with various items in his arms.

He examined the assortment before shoving everything into his pocket that he would really need for the day: two empty bottles, a flashlight, extra batteries, Hawkeye, Clawshot, Din's Fire… "Hm… Do I really need…? Nah." He pulled three, head-sized blue spheres from his jean pocket before gently placing them and the rest of the assortment of items back into the chest.

Now he was ready.

Carelessly, Link flung his backpack of books over his shoulder before heading to the outside room. He ducked under the reception counter where books were checked out and headed towards the front door.

The sound of a page being turned reached Link's ears as Din's weapons magazine, which was masquerading as a cosmetics catalogue, turned itself to a new page. The red-headed female gave Link a slight nod before dully turning her attention back to her "exciting work."

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice suddenly called.

"School." The blond answered simply. He turned to Demon Grandma, who was lazily 'sweeping' the carpeted floor. "I was registered yesterday. Remember?"

"Uh-huh. A process which took all day if I remember correctly… Did you 'report' yet?"

"All things relevant, yes." Demon Grandma gave him a prompting look. Link sighed in frustration. "What?"

The elderly woman turned to Din, who was now watching the exchange with mild interest. "Did he tell you about what happened yesterday? On his official first day of assignment, Link ran into Zelda… or rather, she ran into him… with her car."

Nayru's brows show up in surprise. Din broke out laughing. Farore muttered, "Oh…"

"Well that's one way to do introductions, I guess," Din laughed.

The tips of Link's ears dyed red. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up."

"Record?" Farore asked calmly.

Link shook his head. "They took me to the school nurse. I convinced them that she missed me, so… No; no hospitals, no more questions and no record… Hardly anybody will know, much less remember that incident…"

Farore sighed in relief. "Then everything may proceed as planned?"

Link nodded dully. "Yeah… Assuming _some_one lets me leave for school," he glared at the elderly woman.

She smiled graciously. "Of course. I just thought they'd like to know how well your first day went."

"You just like watching after me… like all 'good grandma's' do," Link grumbled, mostly to himself, before pushing his way out of the library and towards school. He could still hear Din laughing from her position behind the check-out counter.

**…**

Felicia's predictions, judging by the amount of bubbling girls, was accurate: the boys were wrapping up their tryouts.

By the time the three girls had gotten to the Gym, the last row of boys were lining up on their respective diving boards. Ganondorf was among them. His gaze snagged on Zelda and a grin spread across his face. He nodded in her direction.

Zelda smiled weakly in response, not wanting to be rude.

Several girls squealed as Ganondorf casually 'stretched.'

"He's so buff!" one girl drooled as she pulled out her phone, which she had concealed beneath her towel.

"So hot…" her friend agreed, snapping pictures with her phone as well.

Nabooru turned discretely away from the scene, trying to hide an embarrassed face palm in an attempt to keep her cool persona intact. "I can't believe I'm related to _that_…"

"I'll never know what those girls see in him," Felicia muttered, disgust written on her face.

Ganondorf flexed again and kissed his bicep, which earned another squeal from the horde of girls in the room. Zelda nodded, nauseated, before turning away. "I don't _want_ to know."

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be over there…" Nabooru muttered faintly, wisely putting distance between her cousin and herself. Zelda and Felicia nodded her a quick farewell before she disappeared into the crowd.

"His form is awful," Felicia grumbled after a few moments. "You know, I'm starting to think he's only 'trying out' today because you wants your attention, Zel…"

Zelda sighed, shaking her head. "He's been trying to get my attention since middle school." She shuddered before moaning, "Why do I always attract the creepy ones?"

Her fairy friend patted her shoulder comfortingly, unsure of what else to say.

**…**

Venex waved wildly from his seat in the bleachers. "Yay! Zelda! I can see my sister from up here!"

"Yes, I think we all can, Venex. That's the point," Midna growled absentmindedly. Her glare stayed fixed on Ganondorf as he barreled through the water with the grace of a three-legged Goht on ice. _What in the world is he doing?_

**…**

After what felt like an eternity, it was finally time for the girls' tryouts. "All right, ladies!" Impa shouted from her position on a Lifeguard's chair, whistle held loosely in hand. "Line up… On your marks… Get set… GO!"

Zelda plunged into the pool as the Gym teacher blew her whistle. She smiled underwater as she felt the cool liquid grace her skin. Even as a little girl, this had been one of her favorite pastimes. The water was almost like a second home to her, a place where she could let all her worries wash away. She went under and kicked against the wall to turn around again. As her head came to the surface she frowned. If that was the case, then why did she feel so nervous? She shrugged the feelings aside and returned her mind to the joys of swimming.

"Good work, ladies!" Impa called after about ten minutes later. Many of the parents and townsfolk were beginning to file out, satisfied that the tryouts were done and they would hear about the results in a couple days. Not minding them, Impa finalized, "The results will be posted on my office door in about two days."

And that was that. The group of girls groaned as they started towards the pool's edge. Zelda couldn't help but feel similarly but didn't dare voice it. Class would be starting in about ten minutes and she really didn't want to smell like chlorine for the rest of the day.

A near unearthly screech emanated from one of the swimmer girls. She screamed, "SOMETHING'S IN THE WATER! I JUST FELT IT! IT TOUCHED MY LEG!"

Felicia instantly grabbed onto Nabooru's arm, fearful. "Nabs…" she said imploringly.

"What?" Nabooru groaned before rolling her eyes. "Oh, please, Felicia, don't be such a-"

Her words were suddenly cut off as Felicia disappeared, taking Nabooru with her beneath the pool's watery surface.

"Nabooru! Felicia!" Zelda called out. A horrible feeling filled her as she looked down, unable to see anything beyond the black smog that was rapidly spreading.

Mass hysteria broke loose.

After a second, Felicia popped back to the surface, crying and hyperventilating as she quickly made a break for 'land,' dragging a disgruntled and sputtering Nabooru in tow.

Following Felicia's example, both boys and girls swarmed to the edges of the pool, trying to climb out; the girls shrieking and a few boys yelling that they weren't really afraid as they clambered onto the concrete side, breathing heavily.

However, before Zelda could make it far, she felt something slimy grab onto her ankle. She let out a surprised cry before she was dragged down into the darkness.

"ZEL!" Venex and Sheik yelled simultaneously, jumping to their feet.

_I knew we should've been closer to the front!_ Midna looked around madly, but there was no way the three of them could get down there in time. Her gaze found Ganondorf's bulky figure and she glared. He was working his way through the swimmers, trying to get into the pool. She could hear him yelling for people to get out of his way, but they didn't seem to hear him.

Before Midna's mind could comprehend the image in front of her, another oddity entered, strangely calming her.

A flash of gold and blue arched above many of the students' heads before Link landed almost cat-like on the diving board behind the mass of students. He dropped the pole he had used to vault himself over and started running down the board, and disappearing into the darkening depths.

**…**

Zelda kicked frantically, trying to hit whatever had a hold on her. She thrashed out again, her foot only streaming through the water uselessly. Her body turned, so her gaze completely lost sight of the surface and was forced to look deeper into the pool.

But there was nothing there…

A shudder screeched down her spin and reverberated in her mind. Panic welled up in her chest as the suffocating, threatening feeling surrounded her.

Suddenly, something long and slimy wrap around her, binding her arms to her chest. She screamed in surprise as the water around her refused to budge. Frantically, Zelda twisted and turned, trying to break free, but it only held tighter.

Her vision began to blacken, the water closing in on her, and her body screaming for air. A horrible screeching noise ripped through Zelda's eardrums and the pressure around her suddenly released. Disoriented, lungs burning, Zelda tried to face herself to the surface. It was so dark… Which way was up? The cruel blackness of the water seemed to mock her as her desperation grew.

A hand appeared around her elbow. Her fogging brain barely recognized the new boy's bright, azure eyes. His hand gestured up briefly. She blinked slowly in confusion, black dotting her peripheral. His eyes widened on something behind her; in an instant, Zelda found herself behind him.

The slime returned around her ankle, bringing Zelda's heart into another frenzy. She twisted, trying to find the enemy and blinked in confusion. There was only water. But it wasn't black like everything else around her—it was clean. The watery, blue tentacle contracted, pulling her closer before it shattered, earning another shriek.

A glimmer of gold against the strange blue and black waters was the last Zelda saw before she was thrust sideways, her head making contact with the pool's concrete side.

**…**

Midna had spent the last two minutes vacating the room until only the girls trying out for the team remained. Her orange ponytail was frazzled by the time she finally turned to the mob of girls, a green T-shirt in hand. The girls gathered around the swimming pool, screaming, crying and going into general hysterics.

"SHE DIED!"

"Someone call an ambulance!"

"Let me go! I gotta help her!" Felicia growled as she struggled towards the pool's edge desperately.

"No! It'll get you too!" Ganondorf fangirl number one (or, as Felicia and Zelda had begun to refer to those crazies: GF's) cried.

"It ate her!" bawled GF2.

A chorus of screams rose to the idea.

"Get a hold of yourselves!" Midna shouted irritably as she pushed her way to the pool's edge. Every pair of eyes turned to look at the Twili, waiting for some kind of wisdom or leadership to make itself manifest. "You're giving me a headache! And your constant screeching doesn't help anything!"

"She's right!" Ganondorf called, instantly drawing attention to himself. "And we can't leave Zelda down there! So I ask you to please let me through! Whatever's down there…" He raised his arms menacingly. "I can handle it."

"Oh, please," Midna breathed in annoyance. That was the last thing they needed.

Ganondorf started forward, the girls parting for him. "Hold on, Zelda! I'm com-!"

The water's surface erupted, leaving several girls screaming as they jumped back. A chorus of Zelda's name broke out as the mass of females recognized their classmate's unconscious figure being dragged from the water.

Midna gave a small sigh of relief as she watched Link sidestroke to the pool's edge, coughing. As soon as he had reached the end, Midna helped to lift Zelda's limp form to the pool's side.

"Zelda!" Nabooru cried as she finally broke through the crowd and blocking Midna from her friend's limp form. Her ear instantly went down to her friend's face. "She's not breathing!"

Felicia, who had been following close behind, looked as she were about to faint.

Another case of hysteria broke loose.

"Calm down!" Link's voice yelled hoarsely. When the girls had silenced themselves to worried whimpering, Link gave a wearied smile. "Thank you. Now, Sheik, I need you to go get the nurse and Coach Impa."

Sheik nodded before darting away, pulling Venex after him.

Seeing the two boys exiting, Link turned to the girls, "Now, does anyone here know CPR?" Nobody moved, with the exception of Ganondorf, whom he chose to ignore. Link hung his head in exasperation. A room full of swimmers and none knew CPR? He sighed. _Could this be any more of a cliché moment?_ "Okay… Everyone stand clear!"

Kneeling at Zelda's side, Link lowered his face to begin.

**…**

_The waves rolled slowly, pushing up onto the shore before quickly retreating again. The clouds overhead rested on the line between sky and sea as the sun casted its pinky glow over the sky. It was sunset. The most beautiful time of day._

_Zelda sighed peacefully as she rested her head on the shoulder of the man next to her. She felt him take her hand gently as they watched the sun sinking down. She smiled. There could be nothing more perfect._

_"This is great," she said contently, "Thanks for showing me this."_

_"It's my pleasure, Princess," said the voice._

_Zelda looked at her companion, smiling. His usually blond hair seemed almost light brown with the water running through it, plastering it effectively to his head. His blue eyes gleamed happily as they met hers. She leaned in slowly and he mirrored her…_

_A pain suddenly ripped from her chest, causing Zelda to gasp. "L…ink?" She croaked. Her vision blurred as the wet-haired boy suddenly vanished from before her, the rest of the beach fading with a sickening wave of black…_

**…**

Link jumped back as Zelda suddenly groaned and began coughing up water. Nabooru was instantly at her side, pulling her into a sitting position as the blonde regained consciousness. "Zelda! Don't ever do that again, do you hear me?!"

"You're okay!" Felicia's voice cracked as she fought back a few tears.

Zelda groaned in response as her lungs coughed another stream of water onto the ground. Felicia patted her back comfortingly until the coughing finally ceased. "What happened?" Zelda finally managed.

"You almost drowned," Nabooru frowned.

Felicia nodded, but quickly put on a shaky smile, "But you're fine now. That kid… I don't know his name, but he jumped in after you to save you."

Zelda's head swiveled, quickly finding Link's still dripping form as he herded the other girls out of the Gym. As if sensing her gaze, his head turned, holding her gaze silently for a moment before getting the last of the red-faced girls out of the room.

"Zelda?" The said girl jumped, earning a surprised look from her fairy friend, who spoke, "You okay? You're sorta… staring." She whispered the last word as if Link could hear them from the other side of the room.

"His hair is… light brown when wet…"

"And that's weird how?" Nabooru queried, confused as she followed Zelda's gaze.

By this time Midna had walked over to Link and dropped his shirt on his soaked hair. Ponderously, Zelda turned away and muttered, "I guess it isn't really." _But he looks so much like the Link from my dream… But that's ridiculous! How would I know what his hair looks like wet? I met him yesterday!_

"Forget something?" Midna asked Link, unheard by the remaining people in the room.

Link blinked a few times before acknowledging his shirt. Pulling it off his head he muttered a vacant 'thank you' before studiously scanning the room, his mouth taut in concentration.

"What happened down there?" Midna whispered.

"What do you think?"

The Twili scowled. "Obviously a monster attack, but I want to know what and why."

"Morpha," Link mumbled. The thoughtful light had yet to disappear from his gaze.

Midna's brow furrowed. "But the water turned black. Morpha doesn't have that capability… Does it?"

Link shook his head. "I'm pretty sure that was just an illusion so spectators couldn't see what was happening underneath. You know how civilians would act if they were to see a monster made solely of living water drowning one of their own."

Midna nodded, the image of the potential panic clear in her mind. "Okay, so we got Morpha under cover in the swimming pool… but why? To kill Zelda off? Why wouldn't they do it somewhere quieter with less spectators and people to interfere?"

At this flurry of questions Link frowned. "It doesn't make sense, I know. But…"

At that moment Impa, Dr. Troy and the Altari brothers burst through the doors which Link had the common sense to step away from. Midna quickly followed his example, stubbornly staying at his side. The adults hardly paid the two teens they had passed any notice as they ran to the pool side.

"Zelda, are you okay?" Impa demanded, her voice firm, but still gentle as she placed a towel around her student's shivering frame.

Dr. Troy had a flashlight which he was shining into Zelda's eyes. He ran a few other tests as Zelda nodded. "I'm fine."

He nodded in agreement as he finished his various tests and put his equipment away. "A mild case of shock, a headache likely to follow, but, with a little bit of rest, Zelda should be just fine."

"Sheik, Venex, help your sister get to the nurse's office."

The two brothers nodded to the Gym teacher, quiet for once, before doing as they were told.

"But?" Midna prompted Link as they watched the Altari brothers lift their sister easily between them.

"Nothing," he muttered. Before Midna could press him for more information, he had already disappeared through the Gym doors and down the hallway.

"You'd best get to class, Dawnshade," Impa said, catching sight of the Twili.

Feeling mildly defeated and ultimately frustrated, Midna only gave a curt nod before following Link's example.

**…**

Zelda felt a little awkward having her brothers carry her down the hall as if she was dying. As much fun as it was having them make whispered emergency siren noises down the hallway, she insisted they put her down to walk for herself after the first two minutes. As it was now, walking in the midst of her brothers and the school nurse, Zelda didn't really feel all that much better.

Trying to shake the feelings off, Zelda pulled her towel closer to her, though she had dried herself pretty well. She had almost thought her skin would be dyed black with how dark the water was, but it seemed almost normal.

The water… that creature—if it could even be considered as much. Zelda opened her mouth to speak, but froze. Who would honestly believe her when she said that she was attacked by living water? Her gaze turned silently to Sheik, the quieter of her brothers, her twin, and usual confidant. _No, he'll think that's crazy… And he's the only one that ever listens anyways… He may not listen to me later if he thinks I'm nuts… But Ven…_

Her eyes slid to her elder brother, the crazier of the two and the one who usually drove her insane and Sheik out of his more normal mindset. _He'd probably just make fun of me…_ She gave an internal sigh of frustration. _But I have to talk to someone. Felicia, and my other friends for that matter, would totally freak out… Nabooru would try pounding something… Sheik… Or Venex…_

She bit her lip, weighing her options. Deciding to give her eldest brother the benefit of the doubt, she tugged on her brother's sleeve lightly, pulling him to the side of the procession. "Ven?"

"Zel?" he replied teasingly, his goofy grin plastered on his face.

Zelda gulped nervously. "Uh… Down in… in the water. There was this… creature, made of water… It grabbed me and-"

"A whaty-what-what? Living water? Wait. Hold on. Not you too."

Zelda blinked in confusion.

"You're saying you saw something weird down in the water?" When Zelda nodded, Venex shook his head. "It was probably just a dream or hallucination, Zel. You were drowning…" He sighed, "Either that or twins just go insane for no evident reason." He laughed. "You and Sheik really must have that twin empathy link, huh?" He laughed harder.

Zelda's eyes stung with embarrassment and she quickly turned away. She should've known he wouldn't understand—even if he were the more open-minded of the two. But there was one helpful idea from their conversation: Link.

**PERIOD: 1. CLASS: AP English. ROOM: TEACHER: Miss Anju.**

After insisting she was fine for what felt to be the millionth time, Zelda finally made it to English class for the last ten minutes or so. She flashed a silent, comforting smile to Felicia as she took her seat beside the blonde fairy. The other two girls at her desk didn't seem to notice her arrival. Miss Anju, the petite, brunette English teacher gave her a polite nod before continuing her lecture.

Felicia mouthed, "Are you okay?"

Zelda nodded. "Don't worry about me."

Worry remained in her friend's eyes, but a small sigh of relief still escaped from her. She suddenly grinned before nudging her friend and motioning to the back of the class with her head.

Zelda quirked a brow in confusion before stealing a glance over her shoulder at her friend's continued insistence. Her eyes widened slightly as she finally found the dirty blond mop Felicia must've picked out earlier.

As if sensing her gaze, Link's eyes flickered over to her table and seemed to soften as they caught Zelda's violet pools. He gave a small smile, a question playing at its corners.

Zelda couldn't help but smile back.

"Your knight is here," Felicia teased as the bell rang for passing period.

Zelda rolled her eyes at her friend's antics, quickly gathering her things. "Ha, ha. You're hysterical."

Felicia giggled as they passed through the doorway into the crowding halls. "You know it! Well, see you later! Be sure to tell me if he has a Terminian accent!"

"What?"

"Oh, right. You weren't there at the beginning of class." Felicia laughed at herself before facing her friend again. "His name is Link… Siva, I think. He just transferred from Termina—not sure which school. But if he has an accent, I wanna know. They're so cool!" Felicia's voice was beginning to lilt at the ends, betraying her Koholint heritage.

"Then you won't be the only one," Zelda smiled.

"I know, right? Well, I'd better go. See ya!"

Zelda shook her head. _Accents? Really, Felicia?_ She started towards her next class, only to stop abruptly the next moment as she narrowly avoided a collision. "Whoa! Sorry there… Oh, Link… Hi."

The transfer student blinked a few times before smiling in response. "Zelda…" He gulped nervously. "You… Are you doing okay?"

Zelda nodded vigorously. "Thanks to you… What class do you have?"

"Botany, but I have no idea where that is…" He glanced through the swarming hallways helplessly.

"Oh, you have Botany next? I know where that is! Would you like some help?" Zelda asked, sounding a tad bit overeager in her mind.

Surprise flitted through Link's gaze before he gave a small nod. "That'd be nice."

Zelda grinned. "Great, it's this way. And actually on the way to my next class so I'll just walk you there! So… Botany, huh?"

"Yes. I find plants to be interesting and they can be helpful in a tight spot—some have healing properties, you know. Others can be used for potions or just eaten for a meal."

"Do they really teach all that in Botany class?"

Link laughed. "It'd be nice if they did, but… I'm not sure, I guess I'll just have to find out."

Zelda chuckled. They came to a stop by a window that was covered in green vines. "Well, here you are." She smiled. "I've never had Botany, but I've always known it was the classroom that looked like a jungle. There was some project that went awry a few years ago, so the walls are covered with plants now."

"Seems ideal for plant science," Link mused. He gave a polite smile, "Thanks for your help, Zelda."

"Uh… Oh, right." Zelda felt her face heat up. "You too… with the tryouts this morning, I mean…"

"Any time," Link responded softly.

Zelda opened her mouth to speak, but the bell rang, quickly cutting her off. "Oh! Gotta go! See you, Link!"

Link nodded. "See you…"

**…**

No matter how hard he argued, the answer always came the same. So, frustrated and frazzled, Sheik headed away from the Nurse's office, giving his twin reassuring grins before being forced to go to class. He had been lucky enough to stay through most of first period with her. A few days ago, he would've been happy to skip a class period to hang around doing nothing while his twin took a nap.

But that was a few days ago.

Sheik felt twitchy and ill at ease. His knees kept bobbing up and down and his gaze kept flitting to suspicious looking corners and cupboards. Even now, walking through the halls, Sheik still felt like he was sick. A shudder passed through his body. He shook it off. His red eyes narrowed contemplatively, then with conviction.

**PERIOD: 2. CLASS: AP Anatomy. ROOM: 114. TEACHER: Shad Kyler.**

Zelda's fingers twisted and worked restlessly as she stared blankly at her Anatomy test. Her eraser smashed against the desks surface yet again as she struggled to fight off her restless energy without much success. She shook her head roughly before re-answering the twelfth for the fifth time. _The Radius is the bone on the thumb's side! It's _not_ the calcaneus! _

She scribbled furiously through the rest of the test. Mr. Kyler gave her a worried look as her unusually grumpy face handed it in to him. Seeing this, she forced a small smile before returning to her desk.

Desks instantly scooted closer as students began chatting the rest of the period away. Mr. Kyler tuned them out as he turned to grading their tests.

"I think you've abused that pencil enough," Midna said in a bored tone. Zelda turned to her in confusion. "Besides, it's giving me a headache."

Realizing she was beating the desk with the eraser once more, Zelda muttered, "Sorry…" She resumed frowning instead.

Midna sighed. "Oh, yeah, that's so much better."

"Midna?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it possible for water to… come alive?" Zelda muttered, glancing around at the various chatting groups.

A glint passed through Midna's gaze, which was quickly replaced with raised brows. "What? You mean like… Living water? I don't know… Why?"

Zelda's frown deepened. "Well… It's just… Never mind. You'll think it's stupid."

"You talking about what happened earlier today?"

The blonde nodded hesitantly.

"And you thought the water was… alive?"

Pink tinged Zelda's cheeks as she quickly turned away. "Maybe. I don't know. I was drowning. It could've been a hallucination…"

Midna offered a noncommittal shrug. "Who knows? I wasn't down there."

"That's just the thing," Zelda suddenly spoke fervently as she turned on her friend. "Link was the one that pulled me out of the water, right? So he'd be able to tell me if he saw anything fishy down there, but…"

"But…?"

"I don't really know him," Zelda admitted. "I mean, I met him yesterday by… well, it was Venex's fault really, but… I ran him over."

Midna's brows shot up. "Like with a car?"

The shade of pink deepened in response.

Midna choked back a laugh, but a faint smile still trembled behind her pressed lips. "Okay. So, that aside, why don't you just ask 'im?"

Zelda scowled. "He's going to think I'm nuts! I know he said just to forget the whole car thing—and I normally would just let it go—but adding this kind of question on top of that… He's going to think I'm crazy!"

"Or just being funny." Midna raised her hands defensively as Zelda shot her a desperate look. "Hey, I'm just saying. I don't know Link all that well, but he just transferred from Termina, and they have a _lot_ of weird rumors going on down there. Superstitious, you know?"

"Really?"

Midna only nodded in response. She rolled her eyes before sinking lower into her chair, arms crossed. "Geez. Why are you getting all worked over him anyways?"

"Don't say it!" Zelda hissed.

Midna cocked a confused brow. "Say what?"

The Hylian female turned her gaze back to her desk in an instant. "Nothing…" _I guess she's not a Ruto after all…_ Her forehead came to rest against her palm as she resisted the urge to scream. _I need answers!_

**…**

Sheik slumped through the vine arched doorway of his second period class, botany. His eyes suddenly lit up as he half jogged to the other side of the classroom. "Link." He could hardly keep the sigh of relief that escaped.

The blond Hylian glanced a small smile at the newcomer before closing his book. "Sheik." His eyes narrowed slightly, a pensive gleam flashing through them. "You seek answers."

Not needing another invitation, Sheik quickly fell into the seat on Link's left. He glanced around the room briefly to insure no one was listening into the conversation—call him paranoid—before he began, "I had a dream last night. I was running through the treetops in a forest somewhere…"

"Like a ninja?" Link queried, flipping his book open once more.

"Well, yeah. I know I'm a Sheikah so these things should be relatively normal for me, but it seemed… different somehow."

Link said nothing, his gaze locked onto his book.

"I got to this clearing and pulled out my harp… and started playing." His eyes squinted in concentration as if trying to recall the dream was painful. "I couldn't see anyone around, but I had this feeling that I wasn't alone… Like I was there _with_ someone."

"You weren't alone?" Link asked slowly, his mouth pressed into an unreadable line.

Sheik shrugged uselessly. "I don't think so…"

Sharp azure flicked at Sheik briefly as Link spared a glance away from his book. "This was last night?"

"Yes," Sheik breathed, feeling relieved someone was taking this seriously, or at least seemed to be. "I know it sounds strange. I wouldn't have put that much thought into it a while ago, but… I… I just don't know…"

Link regarded Sheik closely, his blue gaze piercing and unreadable. "But now?"

Sheik couldn't resist the smirk that fell into place. "You know the answer to that one."

The blond's mouth twitched in a near smirk. Link gave an amused noise. With a sigh his eyes closed and he snapped his book shut. "I see…" Slowly, Link again brought his gaze level with Sheik's. "Sh-"

"Hey, guys!" an over-energized voice greeted.

Link's gaze narrowed slightly, but instantly resigned to neutrality as his gaze found the red-headed Altari sibling. His mouth reaffirmed its line setting.

Sheik made a mad grab for whatever he could use to hide his face from his brother's sights. He really didn't need his older brother's teasings on his dreams twice in one day. His fingers quickly found Link's book and instantly brought it up to his face. Venex didn't seem to notice as he continued to address Link.

"You thinking of killing something? 'Cuz I'd definitely grab some crackers before I did, ya know?" Venex grinned happily as he plopped down on Link's right.

Link's brows knit together in brief confusion. _What…?_

Venex laughed harder. "Your face, man. Why so serious?"

Realizing his bad habit was shining through again, the line quickly slid from the blond Hylian's face, his brows relaxed and the intense, guarded focus melted from his eyes as Link easily slipped into a lighter expression—a mask he had mastered with years of practice. He chuckled meekly as he rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry. Just got lost in thought, I guess."

"Oh, good. For a minute there, I thought it had frozen that way." Venex laughed at his own joke. Glancing briefly around Link, he grinned, "Hey, bro."

"Hey," Sheik nodded.

Venex turned his head sideways. "You know that book's upside-down… right? You don't get ninja points for that."

Sheik rolled his eyes, choosing to say nothing in return as his older brother instantly started up a conversation with Link, leaving the new kid little room to evade. _Perfect timing, Venex._

**PERIOD: Lunch. PLACE: Band Room Hallway.**

"So what do you have tomorrow?" the red-haired Altari asked happily.  
Having failed getting away from the Altari brothers, Link had little choice but to sit with them and their friends. Of which a very surprised Zelda and Midna were found upon seeing Link dumped rather unceremoniously on the ground before them. Sheik had mouthed another silent apology, but the dazed Hylian hardly had time to register it before the plethora of girls sitting there starting talking his ear off until Venex had posed the latest question.

A half-eaten sandwich hanging from his mouth, Link shuffled through his binder for a moment before pulling out his schedule, which Venex quickly took the liberty of snatching from his hands. The blond-haired Hylian quirked a brow for a moment before returning to his lunch.

"Hm… AP Stats with Fi… Magic with Mr. Mita—he's mean—Ancient Hylian with Fanadi—she's kinda… coo-coo, if you know what I mean—and History with that new teacher! Wow. What's with all the AP classes? You some sort of genius or something?"

Link shrugged again as he gingerly repossessed his schedule, but failing miserably as Venex jerked it away again. The blond sighed before continuing, "Before coming to Ordon I went to Ikana Valley Academy."

Saria's eyes widened. "You went to IVA? Isn't that school really difficult to get into?"

Sheik cast a curious look at her. Midna summarized, "It's pretty much a school for kid geniuses."

"Plus it's foreign," Ruto purred happily.

Saria nodded, "So it's really good. I heard it's sort of like going to college."

Again, Link shrugged, unsure of what to say.

Ruto elbowed Zelda, a grin plastered on her face. She mouthed, "Brains," gesturing to Link subtly.

Zelda couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Re-Dead." The word came out louder than intended, causing the small group to look at her with confusion while Link looked around cautiously. Zelda laughed nervously before asking, "So what made you leave IVA, move to another country and come to Ordon High?"

Link paused for a moment before answering, "My Aunts decided it was time for a change of scenery—they get bored often—so they looked for jobs available in Hyrule and decided to settle down here in Ordon."

"Being here must be a bit of a culture shock, huh?" Zelda said sympathetically.

A shake of his head, "I'm used to it. My parents had to move around a lot so I'm used to starting things over from scratch. And, it seems, my Aunts were similar to my parents in that way and have kept up the tradition."

"What do your parents do?" Ruto asked eagerly.

The answer seemed tired and worn, even as Link forced a pleasant expression on his face, "My dad used to serve in the military, my mom was an army nurse. They were killed in action several years back. I've been living with my Aunts ever since."

The group fell silent and a cold knot twisted in Zelda's stomach. Finally, she spoke, "I'm so sorry."

Link's gaze finally fell into one of sadness as he turned his gaze on Zelda, "It's not your fault. Besides, it happened a long time ago. I don't remember much about it either."

Midna nibbled on her sandwich quietly.

"So… what do your Aunts do?" Saria asked, trying to take the conversation from the sad topic.

Link sighed as if dreading this question. "Two of them are teachers and the other isn't really employed. I guess her technical job is 'taking care of me,' but that's usually left to my Grandmother."

Venex gasped loudly, quickly drawing attention to himself. He waved Link's schedule wildly in front of the said boy's face. "You have _Band_ next too?! What do you play?"

Link seemed uncomfortable by the sudden, frantic draw of attention. The fact that Venex's overjoyed self was invading his personal bubble wasn't helping either. "Harp-"

"Ha! It is _not_ girly!" Sheik announced triumphantly. He wasn't the only guy who played that instrument!

"And Ocarina."

Saria's face brightened. "Really? So do I! Zelda too."

"I play trumpet!" Venex jutted out his chest.

"He didn't ask you," Sheik said.

Midna rolled her eyes. "Band kids."

"How long have you been playing the Ocarina for?" Saria asked, excitedly.

"Uh… How long indeed… I don't know. Forever, it seems." Link rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Saria nodded, the answer was acceptable. "What made you choose that instrument?"

Link's gaze softened. "A friend taught it to me when I was little, actually… She was very kind, kinda quiet, but could be really forward… You sorta remind me of her."

Deep scarlet enveloped Saria's cheeks at the compliment.

"You must've had really good friends, but we'll be better," Ruto assured.

"Ooh! Saria's blushing!" Venex exclaimed teasingly. He turned to Link, "Sorry, bro, but she's already taken. He isn't gonna like you hitting on his girlfriend."

"Venex!" Saria exclaimed, laughing all the while.

Zelda smiled softly as she watched her normally shy, Kokiri friend speak so openly and easily with someone new. She and Saria had this in common, though Zelda was more likely to speak to strangers, and even sounded more confident doing so. Her gaze fell to Link, surrounded by her friends as if he belonged there, like he had always been there. Something buzzed in her chest.

Midna's voice suddenly broke through, "You gonna join us tomorrow or what?"

Link seemed surprised by the suggestion as he met the Twili's steady gaze, but the group instantly pounced on the invitation with persistence.

"You have to!"

"We'd love to have your company…"

"I can show you all the great uses for banana pudding!"

Zelda caught his eye as she nodded, a pleasant smile plastered on her face. "Please?"

Link nodded vaguely, which was followed by the group's rejoicing and Venex giving him a 'welcome to the group' noogie.

Midna turned away, finishing off her sandwich and nonchalantly flipping through her binder. _Well, you're in… Now what are you going to do?_

**PERIOD: 3. CLASS: Band. ROOM: 036. TEACHER: ...**

_She seems nice enough…_ Zelda mused as she, like her fellow classmates, took in the willowy, blue-haired Hylian, Ms. Amatura. Zelda quickly resumed tuning her Ocarina to a concert F—they were supposed to be doing warm-ups after all.

Ms. Amatura stood on the podium, signaling the need for silence. "Let us begin with… Oh, dear… My baton's seemed to have gone missing… How odd…"

At that moment, the door blasted open, allowing short, irate figure to march in.

"I don't know which of you punks thought it'd be funny to enchant this stupid stick to unscrew my door off its hinges, but rest assured I will personally—Nayru…?" Ralph Mita stopped abruptly in his tirade, a director's baton in his hand, as he caught sight of the new, blue-haired teacher.

The said woman smiled in response. "Oh, Ralph. I had heard you were teaching here as well. It's been a while. It's good to see you."

"Y-y-uh… Yeah. Y-you too…"

Link busied himself by reading over Saria's music.

The class, however, was instantly drawn into whatever was unfolding before their eyes. Was Mr. Mita's face _red?!_ The whole class leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse of the impossible.

Mr. Mita cleared his throat, completely unaware of the stares he was collecting. "I believe this is yours, milady?" He held the baton out to her gingerly.

Nayru gave a lyrical sounding laugh as she accepted it. "Why, yes. Thank you."

Mr. Mita smiled in response.

… He smiled… Mr. Mita? The world had to be ending or something, this couldn't possibly be real.

**PERIOD: 4. CLASS: Co-Ed Gym. ROOM: Gym. TEACHER: Impa Kageri. **

"Hi, Nabooru," Zelda greeted her locker neighbor warmly as she started opening her own. "How are things?"

The red-haired Gerudo gave a friendly smirk as she caught sight of her friend. "Pretty good. How are things with you?"

"Similarly." It was nice to talk with Nabooru again. It was even better that she didn't seem interested in discussing the accident that morning—Zelda was kinda getting frustrated with everyone worrying about her all the time; she just wanted to forget and move on! Well… Kinda. After she got up the nerve to talk to Link. _This is so strange, after what happened with meeting Midna last class, I was sure Nabs would… _

"Good. I was sorta…"

"Hey, Zelda," Midna's voice came coolly.

Nabooru's eyes harshened, her mouth pushed itself into a taut line, but the smirk remained.

"Hi…" Zelda smiled. _Do that…_

Nabooru was glaring daggers, though Midna didn't seem to notice very much. She shoved her backpack into the locker on the other side of Zelda's.

The glare intensified. Midna passed a rough smirk to the offending Gerudo before ignoring her completely to get ready for class.

Zelda followed suit and Nabooru reluctantly did the same. Zelda blinked rapidly, her skin almost itching with the discomfort and awkwardness of the situation. What was wrong with these two? Couldn't they just get along!?

Now in her gym uniform, Midna gave Zelda a nod before heading out of the room.

"I see you still have a new shadow…" Nabooru said coldly.

"Well she's new and doesn't really have any friends yet…"

"It's not your job to take care of everyone, Zel. Not everyone deserves it."

"Where have I heard that before?" Zelda mused, her voice lilting lightly.

Nabooru's features softened. She had said the exact same thing to Zelda before the two of them had become friends in middle school. The Gerudo female shook her head, waving away the fond memories. "This is different."

Zelda spoke softly, knowing she was treading into dangerous territory. "I know there's something about her that you don't totally trust, but she isn't a bad person. She's actually been pretty nice-"

"Not everyone is what they seem, Zelda. She's hiding something. There's something off… I know I have no right to pick your friends for you, but I'm asking you to stay away from her—I've just got this bad feeling."

"Feeling of what?" _Like what happened this morning?_

Nabooru bit her lip, glaring at the near-empty locker room before resting her gaze on Zelda, a hard look in her eye. "I don't think she's really interested in being your friend—she's phony."

Zelda felt her eyes widen in shock. Not really being her friend? "Nabs… I'm not so sure… She's just a little-"

"You know what, forget I said anything." Nabooru forced a smile on her face as she walked from the room. "I'll see you around, okay?"

**…**

"GYM BUDDIES!" Venex yelled, linking his arms around Sheik and Link's shoulders as they walked to the wall where they took attendance. Several girls in the class giggled at his antics and turned bright red on behalf of Link's obvious discomfort. The said Hylian wiggled until he was released from the red-headed boy's death hold.

"He's kinda shy, isn't he?" Zelda mused.

Midna, who had been loitering outside of the locker room, shrugged.

"It's sorta weird… Having him in so many of my classes, I mean." Zelda's gaze softened. "But I'm also glad…" At this Midna spared her a bored look. "Sheik and Venex haven't had a lot of good guy friends around for a while—Sheik especially. It's nice to see them branch out a little."

No response.

Impa was standing patiently at the wall where attendance was usually taken, closely reading her usual clipboard.

Finally escaping the Altari brothers, Link approached silently. "Excuse me, Mrs. Kageri?"

The Sheikah woman cast her gaze upward and smiled. "You're Link Siva, aren't you?" Link nodded in confirmation. Impa reciprocated the motion. "Welcome to my class. I look forward to being your instructor."

Link bowed his head respectfully before assuming the place Impa gestured for him to stand in line.

"Alright, class. Today we're going to be doing dodgeball."

Zelda could hear her twin groan. Sheik hated dodgeball.

**…**

Zelda and Sheik had wound up being the team captains for that day. Venex had complained so loudly that Zelda had been forced to take him just to make him be quiet; Nabooru and several other students were on her side as well.

Surprisingly, Sheik's first choice was Link (he usually chose Venex because, if he didn't, he'd get a sore beating). Zelda would've taken the time to wonder what had changed Sheik's mind so much that he'd part with Venex in order to team up with Link instead, but… again, Venex was currently making her deaf in one ear.

"This is gonna suck," Sheik muttered under his breath as he, Link and Midna stood, waiting for the whistle to blow and the game to begin.

"You'll be fine," Link whispered.

Sheik glanced at him—Link was smiling. Right. Link had never seen Sheik and sports mix…

The dreaded whistle blew, students raced to the line, grabbing balls and instantly pelting each other with them. Several students ran to the back on both teams while some just walked to the line, got hit and sat down at the sideline and started texting.

"Worst sport ever…" Sheik muttered as a ball sped towards his face.

Link caught the ball in one hand, spun around and swept it to the other side, where it made a clean hit.

Sheik's brows rose. "Wow. You're good."

"Heads up."

Sheik felt his hand move, as if of its own volition. Something impacted his palm before it was quickly rolled off and redirected. He blinked. What had just happened?

"Sheik…" came Venex's voice. "You… You got me out."

Zelda and Venex gaped at their brother.

Midna stared.

An invisible smile pressed against Link's lips as he continued to play.

**…**

At home, Zelda collapsed at her computer desk, her backpack resting against the table's legs as she set to work at her laptop. Today had been a weird day at school indeed. Sheik's team won the dodgeball game thanks to their team captain… And the fact that they couldn't get him or Link out. By the end of the day Impa was joking that the two of them couldn't team up without it being unfair.

Today had been a bundle of many strange things—she was just glad it was over. Her parents made a bit of fuss over what had happened with the pool that morning—they had gotten a call—but calmed down enough to let Zelda retreat to her room and do her homework…

Urgh. Homework. Zelda sighed as she pulled out her AP History binder and set to work on her Princess of Destiny paper…

* * *

**XIII:** There! Freakishly long chapter (18 on Word...) for freakishly long wait! Hopefully wait won't be so long for the next one...

**Spazzy:** "I can show you all the uses for banana pudding!"; "You gonna kill something? Cuz I'd seriously get some crackers before." -favorite lines ever!

**XIII:** Spazzy is a Venex fan. :)

**Spazzy:** He is my favorite. :D

**XIII:** Speaking of which, any favorite moments? Scenes? Interesting developments, etc.? THOUGHTS?!

**Review Responses:**

_Aunty JJ_: Haha. It's okay. Sometimes I need to hear it… ^^' Brain blocks are basically killers… They made it difficult to write some scenes for this chapter, hence why it took forever! HAHAHA! No! Don't run away! XP Yay! I actually kinda like writing Ganondorf and Link arguing… Is that weird? And yes, poor Zelda. High school terrors: her brothers' driving and Ganondorf flirt attack! O Spastic One: Food is my favorite. Whenever I'm over at XIII's house, I tend to eat her food… As evident by the past few weeks, when she had a plethora of cake and she forced me to eat it because she didn't want to. I like cake… :D

_SarcasticMustache:_ I'm glad you enjoy the long chapters! They can be frustrating at times. :) Before I get to the rest of this response, I just wanted to say how happy your reviews make me. You take so much time leaving me wonderful feedback and it helps me so much as an author! Especially since I'm experimenting with everything I write. It's always nice to know what I'm doing well and what I need to work on, but, in reading this review, I got a little more than usual. I felt inspired to write again. I just wanted to thank you for that since it's been a while since I've felt that way. So… Thanks. :)

1.)YES! That makes me so happy! And excited! This Link (and the one from HA) can be really difficult to write! Especially in the beginning, since I have to introduce them and the way they think. Doesn't know how? That's an interesting way of putting it. (You even put details as to why! YOU'RE AMAZING!) Yes, this Link is my character development experiment, so hopefully this goes well. XP

2.)Haha. Yay! Really? Involved in what way? Wow. I kinda forgot how many secrets were swimming around in this fic. No wonder I have brain blocks so often… ^^" HAHAHA! That sounded a lot like a Jane Austin moment at the end. XP

3.)Yeah. I think trying to find the balance of what to reveal/withhold is what causes most of my brain blocks. You don't have to plan everything out for a story in order for it to work. There are tons of ways to work it out. You're not stuck to writing my way. Besides, I love talking LoZ with MangaMaid4545 (my editor for this one and co-author/editor for HA) and I usually end up filling up the plot line that way. We talked about Hyrule Academy (which I refer to as Z1 since it's my first Zelda story) for a year or so before we actually decided to write it, so of course it got super filled out! This one (Z3) wasn't very defined when I wrote the original, but, since I've been redrafting, the details have become more vibrant since I feel a little more confident.

Okay, that was long winded. Basically, you don't have to plan it all out! I don't always. Just get the main ideas, a starting point, and where you want to end. I think you could do it. And if a prompt is all you need, my brain tends to overproduce ideas for modern day LoZ fics. Plus you can get beta readers, editors or co-authors to help you out. :) Oh, and me too. :D

4.)I'm guessing this is people you trust besides Zelda? I'd say Link's a pretty good bet. (I'd almost say SPOILER, but… He's Link.) Ooh. His grandma, huh? Interesting that you bring her up. And secretly evil at that, too? Very interesting indeed. Haha! Character development is very fun. I love how much you get into talking about Link's development—it even gets me excited! XP

5.)Taco Bell isn't all that good, so you're not really missing out on much. Tacos are better homemade or from… Rats. I forgot the name, but their tacos are somewhere around 49-79 cents and I like them a lot better. Taco Bell has too much fat. Gross! Venex and Sheik are kinda like Fred and George… Brain blown. I never thought of them like that.

6.) I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter so much. And it makes me so excited to hear that your brain is still working on figuring it out! You have no idea! XP Thanks for all your support! I hope this last chapter was good despite all the hiccups and bumps that made updating take forever!

_Desert Rose:_ Yes! Most definitely. I'm usually better at updating than this, I swear!

_Lars:_ Good. I'm glad to hear you say that. :P Oh, thank you. :)

_Blaze:_ Yeah… Thanks for the kick in the pants to get writing again. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Did you have a favorite part?

**REVIEW! (please)**


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